As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2015.
 
No. 333- 201473
No. 811- 22926
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
_____________________________
 
FORM N-1A
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT   UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [   ]
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 [ X ]
Post-Effective Amendment No. [   ]
  and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 [   ]
Amendment No. 1 [ X ]
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
(Address of Principal Executive Office)
 
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: ( 630) 355-4676
 
Benjamin T. Fulton
Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
( Name and Address of Agent for Service )
 
 
Copy to:
Morrison C. Warren, Esq.
Chapman and Cutler LLP
111 West Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603


Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
 
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to section 8(a), may determine.
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
Contents of Registration Statement
 
This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:
 
The Facing Sheet
 
Part A - Prospectus for Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
Part B - Statement of Additional Information for Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
Part C - Other Information
 
Signatures
 
Index to Exhibits
 
Exhibits
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
 
Subject to Completion
Dated April 28, 2015
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust”)
 
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund”)
(The NASDAQ Stock Market ® LLC — CAPX)
 
PROSPECTUS
 
[                            ], 2015
 
The Fund intends to list and principally trade its shares on The NASDAQ Stock Market ® LLC (“NASDAQ” or the “Exchange”). Shares of the Fund trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value. Unlike mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems shares at net asset value only in large specified blocks each consisting of 50,000 shares (each such block of shares called a “Creation Unit,” and, collectively, the “Creation Units”). The Creation Units are issued for securities in which the Fund invests and/or cash, and redeemed for securities and/or cash, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements.
 
The Fund is an exchange-traded index fund and except when aggregated in Creation Units, the shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
 
NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NO BANK GUARANTEE.
 
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
ELKHORN S&P 500
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
PORTFOLIO
Summary Information
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
 
      The Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio seeks investment results that generally correspond (before fees and expenses) to the price and yield of the S&P 500® Capex Efficiency Index (the “Index”).
 
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
 
      This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.
 
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fees
0.29%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
0.00%
Other Expenses ( * )
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.29%
 
EXAMPLE
 
      This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
 
      This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels until March 31, 2017, and thereafter to represent the imposition of the 12b-1 fee of an additional 0.25% per annum of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:
 
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
$30
$121
 
(*)         
Other Expenses are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.
 
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
 
       The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account.
 
      These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. At the date of this prospectus, the Fund does not have an operating history and turnover data therefore is not available.
 
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PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
 
       The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Fund’s investment advisor seeks a correlation of 0.95 or better (before fees and expenses) between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. S&P Opco LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC) (“S&P” or the “Index Provider”) compiles, maintains and calculates the Index.
 
      The Index is designed to provide exposure to the constituents of the S&P 500 that have exhibited strong capital discipline in the form of efficient capital expenditures. Capital expenditures are generally considered to be expenditures made with respect to the purchase or improvement of fixed assets with the benefits of such expenditures occurring over a time horizon of greater than one year. With respect to construction of the Index, capital expenditures are defined and reported by each respective Index-eligible company in its cash flow statement as contained in the financial statements filed with the SEC. Efficiency of capital expenditures is measured through capital expenditures, captured from a company’s cash flow statements, which have resulted in increased sales. Capital expenditures are one of the ways in which management can provide return of capital to investors. Capital expenditures, which represent a company’s re-investment of revenues back into the company, may be viewed as indirect return of capital to investors because such activity may increase the overall value of the enterprise.
 
      The Index consists of 100 securities of the S&P 500 that have exhibited high capital expenditures efficiency. In order to quality for inclusion, a company must have its most recent fiscal year capital expenditures “scaled by sales” lower than the historical three-year average. Capital expenditures scaled by sales refers to the ratio of capital expenditures to sales. Elkhorn Investments, LLC (the “Adviser”) believes that this ratio allows for a more accurate comparison of constituent companies than a comparison of their aggregate capital expenditures alone. For example, larger companies may have greater aggregate capital expenditures as compared to smaller companies; however, the amounts of such expenditures, alone, are not necessarily indicative of effectiveness with respect to sales revenue generation. Securities are ranked in the ascending order based on the ratio of current year to three-year average. The 100 stocks with the lowest ratio form the Index.
 
      To qualify for membership in the Index, a stock must satisfy the following criteria: (1) be a member of the S&P 500; and (2) report capital expenditures in the last four fiscal years. The Index is weighted equally and fully rebalanced four times a year, effective after the close of the third business day in January, April, July and October. The rebalancing reference date for the data used in the review is the last business day of the prior December, March, June and September, respectively. For more information on the Index, please refer to the Index Provider section later in this prospectus. For information on stock eligibility criteria and index management rules of the S&P 500, please refer the S&P U.S. Indices Index Methodologies at www.spdji.com.
 
      Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries only to the extent
 
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that the Index reflects a concentration in that industry or group of industries. The Fund will not otherwise concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries.
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
 
      You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved.
 
      Equity securities may subject the Fund to volatile price fluctuations. The Fund invests in equity securities. The value of the Shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of these equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of the capital rises and borrowing costs increase.
 
      Fluctuation of the Fund’s net asset value will occur in response to market changes. The net asset value of Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in net asset value as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on NASDAQ. The Fund cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.
 
      The Fund is not managed to exceed index performance. The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in or representative of its Index regardless of their investment merit. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Index. Therefore, it would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.
 
      Market values for securities held by the Fund will fluctuate, and therefore the value of the Shares will fluctuate. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund or the Shares in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Overall security values could decline generally or could underperform other investments.
 
      New funds, such as the Fund, tend to have fewer assets than larger, established funds. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other relatively new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected. Also, during the initial invest-up period, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest a larger amount or all of its assets in cash equivalents, or it may hold cash.
 
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      Non-correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index is possible. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Although the Fund currently intends to seek to fully replicate the Index, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach, which may cause the Fund not to be as well-correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions, cost or liquidity constraints.
 
       Non-diversification of the Fund’s portfolio may cause the Fund to have increased exposure to fewer issuers. Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
 
       To the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or industries, the Fund will also concentrate in such industry or industries. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors.
 
      The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
 
PERFORMANCE
 
      As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.elkhorn.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.
 
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
 
Investment Adviser. Elkhorn Investments, LLC (the “Adviser”).
 
      Investment Committee. There is no one individual primarily responsible for portfolio management decisions for the Fund. Investments are made under the direction of the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee consists of:
 
Benjamin Fulton, Chair of the Investment Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser;
 
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Graham Day, Director of the Adviser;
   
Jeff Wynsma, Director of the Adviser; and
   
Jordan Golz, Analyst of the Adviser.
 
      Each member of the Investment Committee has served as a part of the portfolio management team of the Fund since inception.
 
PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES
 
      The Fund issues and redeems Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only with authorized participants (“APs”) and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 50,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities in which the Fund invests and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
 
      Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are expected to be listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).
 
TAX INFORMATION
 
      The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
 
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
 
      If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and ALPS Distributors, Inc., the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
 
Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks
 
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
 
      The Fund is a series of the Trust, an investment company and an exchange-traded “index fund.” The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund’s fees and expenses) of the Index. The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund’s investment objective, the 90%
 
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investment strategy and each of the policies described herein are non-fundamental policies that may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. As non-fundamental policies, the Fund’s investment objective and the 90% investment strategy require 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders before they can be changed. Certain fundamental policies of the Fund are set forth in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) under “Investment Objective and Policies.”
 
      The Fund uses an “indexing” investment approach to attempt to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Adviser seeks correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. Another means of evaluating the relationship between the returns of the Fund and the Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Index’s returns.
 
      The Fund generally invests in all of the securities comprising the Index in proportion to the weightings of the securities in the Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those securities in those same weightings. In those circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index.
 
      Additional information about the construction of the Index is set forth below in the section entitled “Index Provider.”
 
Fund Investments
 
EQUITY SECURITIES
 
The Fund invests in equity securities, which will primarily include common stocks.
 
CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
 
       The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash, in order to collateralize its investments. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions. During the initial invest-up period and during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its assets in these securities or it may hold cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. For more information on eligible short term investments, see the SAI.
 
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ILLIQUID SECURITIES
 
       The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities and other instruments that are illiquid (determined using the SEC’s standard applicable to investment companies, i.e., securities that cannot be disposed of by the Fund within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities). For this purpose, illiquid securities may include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), that are deemed to be illiquid, and certain repurchase agreements.
 
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
 
      The following provides additional information about certain of the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund’s “Summary Information” section.
 
      Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. Before you invest, you should consider the following risks in addition to the Principal Risks set forth above in this prospectus.
 
      Equity securities may subject the Fund to volatile price fluctuations. Equity risk is the risk that the value of the securities the Fund holds will fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities the Fund holds participate or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of securities the Fund holds; the price of securities may be particularly sensitive to general movements in the stock market; or a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the securities the Fund holds. In addition, securities of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial condition.
 
      Fluctuation of the Fund’s NAV will occur in response to market changes. The NAV of the Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on NASDAQ. The Fund cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their net asset value. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that Shares can only be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their net asset value), the Fund believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of Shares should not be sustained.
 
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      The Fund is not managed to exceed index performance. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.
 
       Market values for securities held by the Fund will fluctuate, and therefore the value of the Shares will fluctuate. Securities in the Index are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Index. A significant percentage of the Index may be composed of issuers in a single industry or sector of the economy. If the Fund is focused in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were broadly diversified over numerous industries and sectors of the economy. At times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or sectors or the market as a whole.
 
      New funds, such as the Fund, tend to have fewer assets than larger, established funds. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other relatively new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected. Also, during the initial invest-up period, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest a larger amount or all of its assets in cash equivalents, or it may hold cash.
 
      Non-correlation between the performance of the Fund and the Index is possible. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions, cost or liquidity constraints. The Fund may fair value certain of the securities it holds. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices, the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. Since the Index is not subject to the tax diversification requirements to which the Fund must adhere, the Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index. The Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Index due to liquidity constraints. Liquidity constraints also may delay the Fund’s purchase or sale of securities included in the Index. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, causing it to deviate from the Index. Although the Fund currently intends to seek to fully replicate the Index, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach, which may cause the Fund not to be as well-correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions represented in the Index.
 
      Non-diversification of the Fund’s portfolio may cause the Fund to have increased exposure to fewer issuers. Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
 
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      To the extent the Index concentrates in a particular industry or industries, the Fund will also concentrate in such industry or industries. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry competition for resources, adverse labor relations, political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profit ability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.
 
NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
 
      The Fund, after investing 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index, may invest its remaining assets in securities not included in the Index and in money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds that invest exclusively in money market instruments (subject to applicable limitations under the Investment Company of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), or exemptions therefrom). The Adviser anticipates that it may take approximately three business days (a business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open) for the Adviser to fully reflect the additions and deletions to the Fund’s Index in the portfolio composition of the Fund.
 
ADDITIONAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
 
The following section provides additional risk information regarding investing in the Fund.
 
      Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company will subject the Fund to corporate taxes. If, in any year, the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under the applicable tax laws, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation. In such circumstances, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment. If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company, distributions to the Fund’s shareholders generally would be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders.
 
      Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions. Common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase.
 
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      Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
 
      Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.
 
      Market-making third parties may be required to provide liquidity, which would reduce the value of the Fund. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s net asset value and the price at which the Shares are trading on NASDAQ which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares.
 
TRADING ISSUES
 
      Trading in Shares on NASDAQ may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of NASDAQ, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on NASDAQ is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NASDAQ “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NASDAQ necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
 
SHARES MAY TRADE AT PRICES DIFFERENT THAN NAV
 
      The NAV of the Shares generally will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on NASDAQ. The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due largely to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for the Shares will be related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.
 
Tax-Advantaged Structure of ETFs
 
      Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold only at closing NAVs, the Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange and are created and redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. These in-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the
 
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portfolio of the Fund that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the mutual fund’s need to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains for the shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
 
Portfolio Holdings
 
      A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.elkhorn.com.
 
Management of the Fund
 
FUND ORGANIZATION
 
      The Fund is a series of the Trust, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objective and policies. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. Its Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.
 
      Elkhorn Investments, LLC is a registered investment adviser with its offices at 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.
 
      As the Fund’s investment adviser, the Adviser has overall responsibility for selecting and continuously monitoring the Fund’s investments, managing the Fund’s business affairs and providing certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services for the Trust.
 
      There is no one individual primarily responsible for portfolio management decisions for the Fund. Investments are made under the direction of the Investment Committee. The Investment Committee consists of:
 
Benjamin Fulton, Chair of the Investment Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser;
   
Graham Day, Director of the Adviser;
   
Jeff Wynsma, Director of the Adviser; and
   
Jordan Golz, Analyst of the Adviser.
 
      Each member of the Investment Committee has served as a part of the portfolio management team of the Fund since inception.
 
      The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the compensation structure for the members of the Investment Committee, other accounts that the members of the Investment Committee manage and the ownership of Shares by members of the Investment Committee.
 
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      Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement, the Fund pays the Adviser an annual management fee equal to 0.29% of its average daily net assets. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not paid management fees. Out of the management fee, the Adviser pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees, except for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses.
 
      The Adviser’s management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate the Adviser for providing services to the Fund.
 
      A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Trust’s investment advisory agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.
 
How to Buy and Sell Shares
 
The Fund issues or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units.
 
      Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on NASDAQ. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The Shares are expected to trade under the symbol CAPX.
 
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
 
      For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is treated as a registered investment company, and the acquisition of Shares by other registered investment companies is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits certain registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that any such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund regarding the terms of any investment.
 
      APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.
 
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
 
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BOOK ENTRY
 
      Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
 
      Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
 
FUND SHARE TRADING PRICES
 
      The trading prices of Shares on NASDAQ may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.
 
      The approximate value of Shares, an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares and an estimated cash component, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.
 
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
 
      Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. In-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs and cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.
 
      To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other
 
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costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that the Adviser has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.
 
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
 
       Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.
 
      Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.
 
TAXES
 
      The Fund intends to continue qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.
 
      As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.
 
      Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
 
Your Fund makes distributions,
   
You sell your Shares listed on NASDAQ, and
   
You purchase or redeem Creation Units.
 
TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS
 
      The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gains dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gains dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce basis, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax
 
15
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.
 
      Under the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010,” income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax will generally apply to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.
 
      A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on Shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.
 
      If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% for taxpayers in the 39.6% tax bracket, 15% for taxpayers in the 25%, 28%, 33% and 35% tax brackets and 0% for taxpayers in the 10% and 15% tax brackets. Some capital gains dividends may be taxed at a maximum stated tax rate of 25%. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.
 
      Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Shares at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Code treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.
 
      Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. Distributions with respect to Shares in REITs are qualifying dividends only in limited circumstances. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.
 
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TAXES ON EXCHANGE-LISTED SHARE SALES
 
       If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.
 
TAXES ON PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
 
      If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
 
      Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units generally is treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.
 
      The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares.
 
      Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the SAI for more information.
 
Distribution Plan
 
      ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.
 
      The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to reimburse the Distributor for amounts expended to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units or the provision of investor services. The Distributor may also use this amount to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are APs for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services.
 
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      The Fund does not currently pay 12b-1 fees, and the Fund will not pay 12b-1 fees any time before March 31, 2017. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
 
Net Asset Value
 
      The Fund’s net asset value is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business. Net asset value is calculated for the Fund by taking the market price of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the net asset value per Share. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s Board or its delegate.
 
      The Fund’s investments are valued daily in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board, and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. Certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities are typically bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an over the counter secondary market, although typically no formal market makers exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Typically, debt securities are valued using information provided by a third-party pricing service. The third-party pricing service primarily uses broker quotes to value the securities.
 
      The Fund’s investments will be valued daily at market value or, in the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair value in accordance with valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act.
 
      Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board or its delegate at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund is governed by valuation procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s net asset value or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of a security would appear to be the amount which the owner might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The use of fair value prices by the Fund generally results in the prices used by the Fund that may differ from
 
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current market quotations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities. Valuing the Fund’s securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those securities that may differ from current market valuations. See the Fund’s SAI for details.
 
      Even when market quotations are available for portfolio securities, they may be stale or unreliable because the security is not traded frequently, trading on the security ceased before the close of the trading market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading or because of the passage of time between the close of the market on which the security trades and the close of NASDAQ and when the Fund calculates its NAV. Events that may cause the last market quotation to be unreliable include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. Where market quotations are not readily available, including where the Adviser determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, the Adviser will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s Index. This may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track the Index.
 
Fund Service Providers
 
      The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for the Fund.
 
      Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
 
      Grant Thornton LLP, 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.
 
Financial Highlights
 
       The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information therefore is not available.
 
Index Provider
 
      The S&P 500® Capex Efficiency Index is a trademark of S&P and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser or the Distributor. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sub-licensing agreement with the Adviser.
 
      No entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an index is or will be an affiliated person, as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor or a promoter of the Fund.
 
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      Neither the Adviser nor any affiliate of the Adviser has any rights to influence the selection of the securities in the Index.
 
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
 
     To qualify for membership in the Index, a stock must satisfy the following criteria:
 
1.
be a member the S&P 500; and
   
2.
must report capital expenditures in the last 4 fiscal years.
 
      For information on stock eligibility criteria and index management rules of the S&P 500, please refer the S&P U.S. Indices Index Methodologies at www.spdji.com.
 
TIMING OF CHANGES
 
      The Index is fully rebalanced four times a year, effective after the close of the third business day in January, April, July and October. The rebalancing reference date for the data used in the review is the last business date of the prior December, March, June and September, respectively. New Index constituents and Index weights are typically made available to clients five business days prior to the rebalancing date.
 
ADDITIONS
 
Additions are made to the Index only during the quarterly rebalancing.
 
DELETIONS
 
      Constituents removed from the S&P 500 are removed from the Index simultaneously. Other deletions may occur during the rebalancing review.
 
INDEX CONSTRUCTION
 
      The methodology employs an equal-weighting scheme, using the divisor methodology used in most S&P Dow Jones Indices’ equity dividend indices.
 
      There are two steps in the creation of the Index. The first is the selection of the Index constituents; the second is the weighting of the constituents within the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices believes turnover in index membership should be avoided when possible. At times a company may appear to temporarily violate one or more of the addition criteria. However, the addition criteria are for addition to an index, not for continued membership. As a result, an index constituent that appears to violate criteria for addition to that index is not deleted unless ongoing conditions warrant an index change.
 
CONSTITUENT SELECTION
 
     The selection of Index constituents is done as follows:
 
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1.
For all stocks in the selection universe, the three fiscal years average of capital expenditures scaled by sales is computed.
   
2.
For all stocks in the selection universe, the current fiscal year capital expenditures “scaled by sales” is computed.
   
3.
Securities are then ranked in the ascending order based on the ratio of current year to three-year average.
   
4.
100 stocks with the lowest ratio form the Index.
   
      Capital expenditures scaled by sales refers to the ratio of capital expenditures to sales. The Adviser believes that this ratio allows for a more accurate comparison of constituent companies than a comparison of their aggregate capital expenditures alone. For example, larger companies may have greater aggregate capital expenditures as compared to smaller companies; however, the amounts of such expenditures are not necessarily indicative of effectiveness with respect to sales revenue generation.
 
CONSTITUENT WEIGHTINGS
 
     The Index constituents are equally weighted.
 
INDEX CALCULATIONS
 
      The Index is calculated by means of the divisor methodology used for all S&P Dow Jones equity indices.
 
       For more information on the Index calculation methodology, please refer to S&P Dow Jones Indices’ Index Mathematics Methodology.
 
Disclaimers
 
      Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its affiliates and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by the Adviser. The Adviser’s products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Adviser’s products or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in Adviser’s products particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Adviser with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to the Adviser or the Adviser’s products. S&P Dow
 
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Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of Adviser’s products into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Adviser’s products or the timing of the issuance or sale of Adviser’s products or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Adviser’s products is to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Adviser’s products. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisors. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
 
      S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF THE ADVISER’S PRODUCTS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND THE ADVISER, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
 
      The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein, and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein. The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the Shares any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
 
Premium/Discount Information
 
      The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on NASDAQ. The Adviser cannot predict whether the
 
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Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities (and an estimated cash component) accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.
 
      Information regarding how often the Shares traded on NASDAQ at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, will be found at www.elkhorn.com.
 
Other Information
 
      Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).
 
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
 
      The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
 
      For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
 
      Broker-dealer firms also should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, generally are required
 
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to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act only is available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
 
DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS—HOUSEHOLDING
 
      Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of the prospectus and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you currently are enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
 
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Contents  
 
Summary Information
2
Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks
6
Fund Investments
7
Tax-Advantaged Structure of ETFs
11
Portfolio Holdings
12
Management of the Fund
12
How to Buy and Sell Shares
13
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
15
Distribution Plan
17
Net Asset Value
18
Fund Service Providers
19
Financial Highlights
19
Index Provider
19
Disclaimers
21
Premium/Discount Information
22
Other Information
23
 
For More Information
 
For more detailed information on the Trust, Fund and Shares, you may request a copy of the Fund’s SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This means that the SAI legally is a part of this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments also will be available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, when available. In the Fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. If you have questions about the Fund or Shares or you wish to obtain the SAI, Annual Report and/or Semi-Annual Report, when available, free of charge, or to make shareholder inquiries, please:
 
Call:
Elkhorn ETF Trust at 1-844-355-3837
 
Monday through Friday
 
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time
Write:
Elkhorn ETF Trust c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
 
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
 
Wheaton, IL 60187
Visit:
www.elkhorn.com
 
Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
 
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund or the Shares not contained in this prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this prospectus for future reference.
 
Dealers effecting transactions in the Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters.
 
The Trust’s registration number under the 1940 Act is 811-22926.
 
 
PROSPECTUS
ETF
   
Elkhorn S&P 500
Capital Expenditures
Portfolio
 
 
DATED ______, 2015
     
  Elkhorn ETF Trust Phone: 1-844-355-3837
  207 Reber Street, Suite 201 E-mail: info@elkhorn.com
  Wheaton, IL 60187 www.elkhorn.com
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed.  We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective.  This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer of sale is not permitted.

Preliminary Statement of Additional Information
 Dated April 28, 2015
Subject to Completion

 
 
Statement of Additional Information
 
Investment Company Act File No. 811-22926
ELKHORN ETF TRUST
 

                                                              Fund Name
Ticker Symbol
Exchange
     
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
CAPX
The NASDAQ Stock Market ® LLC
 
 
Dated [     ], 2015

 
This Statement of Additional Information ( “SAI” ) is not a prospectus.  It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated       , 2015, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus” ), for Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund” ), a series of the Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust” ).  Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meanings as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted.  A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, or by calling toll free at 1-844-355-3837.
 
 
 

 

 
Table of Contents
 
 
General Description of the Trust and the Fund
 1
Exchange Listing and Trading
 3
Investment Objective and Policies
 4
Investment Strategies
  5
Sublicense Agreement
  9
Investment Risks
  9
Management of the Fund
  12
Accounts Managed by Investment Committee
  20
Brokerage Allocations
  21
Custodian, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Distributor, Index Provider and Exchange
  23
Additional Information
  26
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
  27
Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations
  28
Federal Tax Matters
  36
Determination of Net Asset Value
  43
Dividends and Distributions
  44
Miscellaneous Information
  45
Financial Statements 45
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 46
Statement of Assets and Liabilities 47
Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines
A-1
 
 
 
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General Description of the Trust and the Fund
 
The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on December 17, 2013, and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series or “Funds.”  The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ).  The Trust currently offers shares in one series, the Fund, a non-diversified series.
 
This SAI relates to the Fund.  The Fund, as a series of the Trust, represents a beneficial interest in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets, with its own objective and policies.
 
The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Trustees” ) has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval.  Shares of any series may also be divided into one or more classes at the discretion of the Trustees.
 
The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon written notice to the shareholders.
 
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder.  Shares of all series of the Trust vote together as a single class except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act, or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular series; and, if a matter affects a particular series differently from other series, the shares of that series will vote separately on such matter.  The Trust’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration” ) requires a shareholder vote only on those matters where the 1940 Act requires a vote of shareholders and otherwise permits the Trustees to take actions without seeking the consent of shareholders.  For example, the Declaration gives the Trustees broad authority to approve reorganizations between the Fund and another entity, such as another exchange-traded fund, or the sale of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets, or the termination of the Trust or the Fund without shareholder approval if the 1940 Act would not require such approval.
 
The Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder shall be expressly held to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration.  The Declaration may, except in limited circumstances, be amended by the Trustees in any respect without a shareholder vote.  The Declaration provides that the Trustees may establish the number of Trustees and that vacancies on the Board of Trustees may be filled by the remaining Trustees, except when election of Trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act.  Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present.  The Declaration also provides that Trustees may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining Trustees.  The provisions of the Declaration relating to the election and removal of Trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the Trustees.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
The holders of Fund shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Fund shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund or as the Trustees may determine, and ownership of Fund shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation.  In addition, pursuant to the Declaration, the Trustees may, in their discretion, require the Trust to redeem shares held by any shareholder for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.  The Declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions.  Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand must first be made on the Trustees.  The Declaration details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand.  Following receipt of the demand, the Trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand.  If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholder may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholder is able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund.  In making such a determination, a Trustee is not considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated for his or her services as a Trustee.  If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholder will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand under a number of circumstances.  If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration, the shareholder bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees.  The Declaration also provides that any shareholder bringing an action against the Fund waives the right to trial by jury to the fullest extent permitted by law.
 
The Trust is not required to and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders.
 
Under Massachusetts law applicable to Massachusetts business trusts, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations.  However, the Declaration contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of this disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Trust or the Trustees.  The Declaration further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Trust for all losses and expenses of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust.  Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Trust or the Fund itself was unable to meet its obligations.
 
The Declaration further provides that a Trustee acting in his or her capacity as Trustee is not personally liable to any person other than the Trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission, or obligation of the Trust.  The Declaration requires the Trust to indemnify any persons who are or who have been Trustees, officers or employees of the Trust for any liability for actions or failure to act except to the extent prohibited by applicable federal law.  In making any

 
 
 
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determination as to whether any person is entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with a claim for which indemnification is sought, such person is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that he or she did not engage in conduct for which indemnification is not available.  The Declaration provides that any Trustee who serves as chair of the Board of Trustees or of a committee of the Board of Trustees, lead independent Trustee, or audit committee financial expert, or in any other similar capacity will not be subject to any greater standard of care or liability because of such position.
 
The Fund is advised by Elkhorn Investments, LLC (the “Adviser” or “Elkhorn Investments” ).
 
The shares of the Fund list and principally trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market ® LLC ( “NASDAQ” or the “Exchange” ).  The shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above net asset value.  The Fund offers and issues shares at net asset value only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation” ), generally in exchange for a basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities” ) included in the Fund’s Index (as hereinafter defined), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component” ).  Shares are redeemable only in Creation Unit Aggregations and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment.  Creation Units are aggregations of 50,000 shares of the Fund.
 
The Trust reserves the right to permit creations and redemptions of Fund shares to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis under certain circumstances.  Fund shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities.  See the “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” section.  In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions.  In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” ) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.
 
Exchange Listing and Trading
 
There can be no assurance that the requirements of NASDAQ   necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met.  NASDAQ   may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Fund’s Index (as defined below) is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange   makes further dealings on NASDAQ   inadvisable.  NASDAQ will remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
 
As in the case of other stocks traded on NASDAQ, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
 
 
 
 
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The Fund reserves the right to adjust the price levels of shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors.  Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
 
Investment Objective and Policies
 
The Prospectus describes the investment objective and certain policies of the Fund.  The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund.
 
The Fund is subject to the following fundamental policies, which may not be changed without approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund:
 
(1) The Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
(2) The Fund may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
(3) The Fund will not underwrite the securities of other issuers except to the extent the Fund may be considered an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act” ), in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.
 
(4) The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).
 
(5) The Fund may not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted thereunder.
 
(6) The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, forward contracts or other derivative instruments, or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
 
(7) The Fund may not concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry, as the term “concentrate” is used in the 1940 Act, except to the extent the Index upon which the Fund is based concentrates in an industry or a group of industries.  This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies.
 
 
 
 
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For purposes of applying restriction (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings ( i.e. , the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets).  In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%.  The fundamental investment limitations set forth above limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain investment practices and purchase securities or other instruments to the extent permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law. As such, these limitations will change as the statute, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) change, and no shareholder vote will be required or sought.
 
Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction.  With respect to restriction (2), if the limitations are exceeded as a result of a change in market value then the Fund will reduce the amount of borrowings within three days thereafter to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations (not including Sundays and holidays).
 
The foregoing fundamental policies of the Fund may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.  The 1940 Act defines a majority vote as the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding securities are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities.  With respect to the submission of a change in an investment policy to the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Fund, such matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon with respect to the Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of such matter, notwithstanding that such matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by such matter.
 
In addition to the foregoing fundamental policies, the Fund is also subject to strategies and policies discussed herein which, unless otherwise noted, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees.
 
Investment Strategies
 
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in U.S. common stocks, which represent the securities in the S&P 500 ®  Capex Efficiency Index (the “ Index ”).  Fund shareholders are entitled to 60 days’ notice prior to any change in this non-fundamental investment policy.
 
 
 
 
 
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Types of Investments
 
Equities .  The Fund invests in equity securities.  Equity securities represent an ownership position in a company.  The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic, and other conditions.  Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common stocks.  Common stocks include the common stock of any class or series of a domestic or foreign corporation or any similar equity interest, such as a trust or partnership interest.  These investments may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights.  Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure.  Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.
 
Fixed Income Investments and Cash Equivalents.   Normally, the Fund invests substantially all of its assets to meet its investment objectives; however, the Fund may invest in fixed income investments and cash equivalents.
 
Fixed income investments and cash equivalents held by the Fund may include, without limitation, the types of investments set forth below:
 
(1) The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest, which are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities.  U.S. government securities include securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury, by various agencies of the U.S. government, or by various instrumentalities that have been established or sponsored by the U.S. government.  U.S. Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States.  Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.  Some of the U.S. government agencies that issue or guarantee securities include the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Maritime Administration, Small Business Administration and The Tennessee Valley Authority.  An instrumentality of the U.S. government is a government agency organized under Federal charter with government supervision.  Instrumentalities issuing or guaranteeing securities include, among others, Federal Home Loan Banks, the Federal Land Banks, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and FNMA.  In the case of those U.S. government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its

 
 
 
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commitment.  The U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, and consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.
 
(2) The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or savings and loan association.  Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable.  If such certificates of deposit are non-negotiable, they will be considered illiquid securities and be subject to the Fund’s 15% restriction on investments in illiquid securities.  Pursuant to the certificate of deposit, the issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon.  Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $250,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured.  The Fund may only invest in certificates of deposit issued by U.S. banks with at least $1 billion in assets.  
 
(3) The Fund may invest in bankers’ acceptances, which are short-term credit instruments used to finance commercial transactions.  Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise.  The draft is then “accepted” by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date.  The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specific maturity.
 
(4) The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities with counterparties that are deemed by the Adviser to present acceptable credit risks.  In such an action, at the time the Fund purchases the security, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver the security to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the security at a fixed price and time.  This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate.  Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash.  The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities.  The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral.  If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, however, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest.  The portfolio managers monitor the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement.  The portfolio managers do so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate

 
 
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the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.
 
(5) The Fund may invest in bank time deposits, which are monies kept on deposit with banks or savings and loan associations for a stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest.  There may be penalties for the early withdrawal of such time deposits, in which case the yields of these investments will be reduced.
 
(6) The Fund may invest in commercial paper, which are short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations.  Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation.  There is no secondary market for the notes.  However, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time.  The portfolio managers will consider the financial condition of the corporation ( e.g. , earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand.  The Fund may invest in commercial paper only if its has received the highest rating from at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, judged by Elkhorn Investments to be of comparable quality.
 
(7) The Fund may invest in shares of money market funds, as consistent with its investment objective and policies.  Shares of money market funds are subject to management fees and other expenses of those funds.  Therefore, investments in money market funds will cause the Fund to bear proportionately the costs incurred by the money market funds’ operations.  At the same time, the Fund will continue to pay its own management fees and expenses with respect to all of its assets, including any portion invested in the shares of other investment companies.  Although money market funds that operate in accordance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act seek to preserve a $1.00 share price, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds.
 
Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest in illiquid securities ( i.e. , securities that cannot be sold within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund values the securities for purposes of determining the Fund’s net asset value).  For purposes of this restriction, illiquid securities include, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act but that are deemed to be illiquid; and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days.  However, the Fund will not acquire illiquid securities if, as a result, such securities would comprise more than 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets.  The Board of Trustees or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine, to the extent permissible under the federal securities laws, which securities are liquid or illiquid for purposes of this 15% limitation.  The Board of Trustees has delegated to the Adviser the day-to-day determination of the illiquidity of any equity or fixed-income security, although it has retained oversight for such determinations.  With respect to Rule 144A securities, Elkhorn Investments considers factors such as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market, the frequency of trades

 
 
 
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and quotes for the security, the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security, the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer); (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the issuer thereof ( e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments); and (iii) other permissible relevant factors.
 
Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act.  Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement.  If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell.  Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.  If, through the appreciation of illiquid securities or the depreciation of liquid securities, the Fund should be in a position where more than 15% of the value of its net assets are invested in illiquid securities, including restricted securities which are not readily marketable, the Fund will take such steps as is deemed advisable, if any, to protect liquidity.
 
Portfolio Turnover
 
The Fund buys and sells portfolio securities in the normal course of its investment activities.  The proportion of the Fund’s investment portfolio that is bought and sold during a year is known as the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.  A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if the Fund bought and sold securities valued at 100% of its net assets within one year.  A high portfolio turnover rate could result in the payment by the Fund of increased brokerage costs, expenses and taxes.
 
Sublicense Agreement
 
The Trust on behalf of the Fund relies on a product license agreement (the “ Master License Agreement ”) by and between S&P Opco LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC) ( “S&P” or the “ Index Provider ”) and Elkhorn Investments and a related sublicense agreement (the “ ETF License Agreement ”) with Elkhorn Investments that grants the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, a non-exclusive and non-transferable sublicense to use certain intellectual property of the Index Provider, in connection with the issuance, distribution, marketing and/or promotion of the Fund.  Pursuant to the ETF License Agreement, the Fund has agreed to be bound by certain provisions of the Master License Agreement.
 
Investment Risks
 
Overview
 
An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks that an investment in the Fund shares entails, including the risk that the financial condition of the issuers
 
 
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of the equity securities or the general condition of the securities market may worsen and the value of the securities and therefore the value of the Fund may decline.  The Fund may not be an appropriate investment for those who are unable or unwilling to assume the risks involved generally with such an investment.  The past market and earnings performance of any of the securities included in the Fund is not predictive of their future performance.  
 
Common Stocks
 
Equity securities are especially susceptible to general market movements and to volatile increases and decreases of value as market confidence in and perceptions of the issuers change.  These perceptions are based on unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.  Elkhorn Investments cannot predict the direction or scope of any of these factors.  Shareholders of common stocks have rights to receive payments from the issuers of those common stocks that are generally subordinate to those of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks of, such issuers.
 
Shareholders of common stocks of the type held by the Fund have a right to receive dividends only when and if, and in the amounts, declared by the issuer’s board of directors and have a right to participate in amounts available for distribution by the issuer only after all other claims on the issuer have been paid.  Common stocks do not represent an obligation of the issuer and, therefore, do not offer any assurance of income or provide the same degree of protection of capital as do debt securities.  The issuance of additional debt securities or preferred stock will create prior claims for payment of principal, interest and dividends which could adversely affect the ability and inclination of the issuer to declare or pay dividends on its common stock or the rights of holders of common stock with respect to assets of the issuer upon liquidation or bankruptcy.  The value of common stocks is subject to market fluctuations for as long as the common stocks remain outstanding, and thus the value of the equity securities in the Fund will fluctuate over the life of the Fund and may be more or less than the price at which they were purchased by the Fund.  The equity securities held in the Fund may appreciate or depreciate in value (or pay dividends) depending on the full range of economic and market influences affecting these securities, including the impact of the Fund’s purchase and sale of the equity securities and other factors.
 
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the entity, have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks issued by, the issuer.  Cumulative preferred stock dividends must be paid before common stock dividends and any cumulative preferred stock dividend omitted is added to future dividends payable to the holders of cumulative preferred stock.  Preferred stockholders are also generally entitled to rights on liquidation, which are senior to those of common stockholders.
 
 
 
 
- 10 -

 
 
 
 
Dividends Risk
 
Shareholders of common stocks have rights to receive payments from the issuers of those common stocks that are generally subordinate to those of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks of, such issuers.  Shareholders of common stocks of the type held by the Fund have a right to receive dividends only when and if, and in the amounts, declared by the issuer’s board of directors and have a right to participate in amounts available for distribution by the issuer only after all other claims on the issuer have been paid or have otherwise been settled.  Common stocks do not represent an obligation of the issuer and, therefore, do not offer any assurance of income or provide the same degree of protection of capital, as do debt securities.  The issuance of additional debt securities or preferred stock will create prior claims for payment of principal, interest and dividends which could adversely affect the ability and inclination of the issuer to declare or pay dividends on its common stock or the rights of holders of common stock with respect to assets of the issuer upon liquidation or bankruptcy.  Cumulative preferred stock dividends must be paid before common stock dividends, and any cumulative preferred stock dividend omitted is added to future dividends payable to the holders of cumulative preferred stock. Preferred stockholders are also generally entitled to rights on liquidation that are senior to those of common stockholders.
 
Index Correlation Risk
 
 The value of the Fund’s shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in the value of the Index.
 
Non-Correlation Risk
 
   The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and may incur costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s portfolio holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, although the Fund currently intends to seek to fully replicate the Index, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach which may not exactly replicate the securities included in the Index or the ratios between the securities included in the Index.
 
Borrowing and Leverage Risk
 
When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings.  Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary.  However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time.  As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing.  The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.
 
 
 
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Management of the Fund
 
Trustees and Officers
 
The general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the investment management agreement is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees.  There are four Trustees of the Trust, one of whom is an “interested person” (as the term is defined in the 1940 Act) and three of whom are Trustees who are not officers or employees of Elkhorn Investments or any of its affiliates ( Independent Trustees ).  The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund, choose the Trust’s officers and hire the Trust’s investment adviser.  The officers of the Trust manage its day-to-day operations and are responsible to the Trust’s Board of Trustees.  The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and a statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each Trustee oversees and the other directorships they have held during the past five years, if applicable.  Each Trustee has been elected for an indefinite term.  The officers of the Trust serve indefinite terms.  Each Trustee, except for Benjamin T. Fulton, is an Independent Trustee.  Mr. Fulton is deemed an “interested person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) (“ Interested Trustee ”) of the Trust due to his positions as Chief Executive Officer and President of Elkhorn Investments and the Trust.
 
Name, Address
and Year of Birth
 
Position and Offices with Trust
 
Term of Office and Year First Elected or Appointed
Principal Occupations
During Past 5 Years
 
Number of Portfolios in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee
 
Other Trusteeships or Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years
 
Trustee who is an Interested Person of the Trust
                 
Benjamin T. Fulton (1)
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1961
 
Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Chief Executive Officer and President
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Chief Executive Officer and President, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2013-present; Managing Director, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC, 2005-2013
 
1
 
None
 
Independent Trustees
                 
Bruce Howard
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1952
 
Trustee
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Advisory Board Member, Performance Trust Capital Partners LLC, 2009-present; Director/Tax Consultant, Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1980-present; Professor of Business & Economics, Wheaton College, 1980-present
 
1
 
None
Gregory D. Bunch
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1958
 
Trustee
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Chicago, 2009-present; President, Masterplan International Corporation, 1998-present; Co-Founder, Oration, 2012-2013
 
1
 
None
 
 
 
 
- 12 -

 
 
 
 
 
Name, Address
and Year of Birth
 
Position and Offices with Trust
 
Term of Office and Year First Elected or Appointed
Principal Occupations
During Past 5 Years
 
Number of Portfolios in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee
 
Other Trusteeships or Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years
                   
Jeffrey P. Helton
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1959
 
Trustee
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Pastor, The People’s Church, 2012-present; Executive/Life Coach, WellSpring Coaching, 2010 -present
 
1
 
None
 
Officers of the Trust
                 
Graham Day
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1986
 
Vice President and Assistant Secretary
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Vice President and Director of Product Development, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2014-present; Senior Strategist (2013-2014), Product Manager (2011-2013), Research Analyst (2009-2011), Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC
 
N/A
 
N/A
Melanie H. Zimdars
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1976
 
Chief Compliance Officer
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, ALPS Fund Services, 2009-present
 
N/A
 
N/A
Philip L. Ziesemer
c/o Elkhorn Investments, LLC
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1963
 
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
 
Indefinite term
Since inception
Chief Financial Officer, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2013-present; Chief Financial Officer, Renegade Holdings, 2009-2013
 
N/A
 
N/A
____________________
(1)
Mr. Fulton is deemed an “interested person” of the Trust due to his position as Chief Executive Officer and President of Elkhorn Investments and the Trust.
 
 
Unitary Board Leadership Structure
 
It is anticipated that each Trustee will serve as a trustee of all funds in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex (as defined below), which is known as a “unitary” board leadership structure.  Each Trustee currently serves as a trustee of the Fund and is anticipated to serve as a trustee for future Funds advised by Elkhorn Investments (each, an “Elkhorn Fund” and collectively, the “Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex” ).  None of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, nor any of their immediate family members, have ever been a director, officer or employee of, or consultant to, Elkhorn Investments or any of its affiliates.  The Interested Trustee, Benjamin T. Fulton, serves as the Chair of the Board for each Fund in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex.
 
The same four persons serve as Trustees on the Trust’s Board and are anticipated to serve on the Boards of all other Elkhorn Funds.  The unitary board structure was adopted for the Elkhorn Funds because of the efficiencies it achieves with respect to the governance and oversight of the Elkhorn Funds.  Each Elkhorn Fund is subject to the rules and regulations of the 1940 Act (and other applicable securities laws), which means that many of the Elkhorn Funds

 
 
 
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face similar issues with respect to certain of their fundamental activities, including risk management, portfolio liquidity, portfolio valuation and financial reporting.  Because of the similar and often overlapping issues facing the Elkhorn Funds, including among any such exchange-traded funds, the Board of the Elkhorn Funds believes that maintaining a unitary board structure promotes efficiency and consistency in the governance and oversight of all Elkhorn Funds and reduces the costs, administrative burdens and possible conflicts that may result from having multiple boards.  In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board the overall composition of which, as a body, possesses the appropriate skills, diversity, independence and experience to oversee the Fund’s business.  
 
Annually, the Board of Trustees will review its governance structure and the committee structures, its performance and functions and any processes that would enhance board governance over the business of the Elkhorn Funds.  The Board of Trustees has determined that its leadership structure, including the unitary board and committee structure, is appropriate based on the characteristics of the funds it serves and the characteristics of the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex as a whole.
 
The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees (as described below) and has delegated certain of its responsibilities to those committees.  The Board of Trustees and its committees meet frequently throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review contractual arrangements with and the performance of service providers, oversee compliance with regulatory requirements and review Fund performance.  The Independent Trustees are represented by independent legal counsel at all Board and committee meetings.  Generally, the Board of Trustees acts by majority vote of the Trustees present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, unless otherwise required by applicable law.
 
The two standing committees of the Board of Trustees are the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee.
 
The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for appointing and nominating non-interested persons to the Board of Trustees.  Messrs. Bunch, Helton and Howard are members of the Nominating and Governance Committee.  If there is no vacancy on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees will not actively seek recommendations from other parties, including shareholders.  The Nominating and Governance Committee will not consider new trustee candidates who are 70 years of age or older or will turn 70 years old during the initial term.  When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees occurs and nominations are sought to fill such vacancy, the Nominating and Governance Committee may seek nominations from those sources it deems appropriate in its discretion, including shareholders of the Fund.  To submit a recommendation for nomination as a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, shareholders of the Fund should mail such recommendation to Philip L. Ziesmer, Secretary, at the Trust’s address, 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.  Such recommendation shall include the following information: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, age, date of birth, business address, residence address and nationality of the person or persons to be nominated; (B) the class or series and number of all shares of the Fund owned of record or beneficially by each such person or persons, as reported to such shareholder by such nominee(s); (C) any other information regarding each such person required by paragraphs (a), (d), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K or paragraph (b) of Item 22 of Rule 14a-101 (Schedule 14A) under the 1934 Act (as defined below); (D) any other information regarding the person or persons to be nominated that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitation of proxies for election of trustees or directors pursuant to Section 14 of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (E) whether such shareholder believes any nominee is or will be an “interested person” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if not an “interested person,” information regarding each nominee that will be sufficient for the Fund to make such determination; and (ii) the written and signed consent of any person to be nominated to be named as a nominee and to serve as a trustee if elected.  In addition, the Trustees may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as they may reasonably require or deem necessary to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Trustee.
 
 
 
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If a recommendation is received with satisfactorily completed information regarding a candidate during a time when a vacancy exists on the Board of Trustees or during such other time as the Nominating and Governance Committee is accepting recommendations, the recommendation will be forwarded to the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the counsel to the Independent Trustees.  Recommendations received at any other time will be kept on file until such time as the Nominating and Governance Committee is accepting recommendations, at which point they may be considered for nomination.
 
The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting process, the system of internal controls and audit process and for evaluating and appointing independent auditors (subject also to approval of the Board of Trustees).  Messrs. Bunch, Helton and Howard serve on the Audit Committee.
 
Risk Oversight
 
As part of the general oversight of the Fund, the Board of Trustees is involved in the risk oversight of the Fund.  The Board of Trustees has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s risks.  Oversight of investment and compliance risk, including, if applicable, oversight of any sub-adviser (each, a “Sub-Adviser” ), is performed primarily at the Board level in conjunction with the Adviser’s investment oversight group and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer ( “CCO” ).
 
Melanie H. Zimdars of ALPS Fund Services, Inc. ( “ALPS” ) serves as CCO of the Trust.  In a joint effort between the Trust and ALPS to ensure the Trust complies with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, ALPS has agreed to render services to the Trust by entering into a Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement (the “CCO Services Agreement” ) with the Trust.  Pursuant to the CCO Services Agreement, ALPS designates, subject to the Trust’s approval, one of its own employees to serve as CCO of the Trust within the meaning of Rule 38a-1.  Ms. Zimdars currently serves in such capacity under the terms of the CCO Services Agreement.
 
Oversight of other risks also occurs at the committee level.  The Adviser’s investment oversight group reports to the Board of Trustees at quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance as well as information related to the Adviser and its operations and processes.  The Board of Trustees reviews reports on the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance policies and procedures at each quarterly Board meeting and receives an annual report from the CCO regarding the operations of the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance programs.  In addition, the Independent Trustees meet privately each quarter with the CCO.  The Audit Committee reviews with the Adviser the Fund’s major financial risk exposures and the steps the Adviser has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including the Fund’s risk assessment and risk management policies and guidelines.  The Audit Committee also, as appropriate, reviews in a general manner the processes other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management.  The
 
 
 
 
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Nominating and Governance Committee monitors all matters related to the corporate governance of the Trust.
 
Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.  It may not be practical or cost effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser or other service providers.  Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals.  As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Fund’s ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.
 
Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications
 
As described above, the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees oversees matters related to the nomination of Trustees.  The Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to establish an effective Board with an appropriate range of skills and diversity, including, as appropriate, differences in background, professional experience, education, vocations, and other individual characteristics and traits in the aggregate.  Each Trustee must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee, independence from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities.
 
Listed below for each current Trustee are the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a Trustee in light of the Trust’s business and structure.
 
Independent Trustees.   Bruce Howard is Professor of Business & Economics at Wheaton College and is a Director and Tax Consultant at Tyndale House Publishers Inc.  Mr. Howard has held these positions since 1980.  Additionally, since 2009, Mr. Howard has served as a member of the Advisory Board for Performance Trust Capital Partners LLC.  Mr. Howard has served as a Trustee of the Elkhorn Funds since 2015.  He currently serves as Chair of the Audit Committee (since 2015) of the Elkhorn Funds.
 
Gregory D. Bunch is President of Masterplan International Corporation, a position he has held since founding the strategy consulting firm in 1998.  In 2012, Mr. Bunch co-founded Oration, a health-care focused software company.  Additionally, since 2009, Mr. Bunch has served as Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago, where he teaches New Venture Strategy.  Mr. Bunch has served as a Trustee of the Elkhorn Funds since 2015.  He currently serves as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee (since 2015).
 
Jeffrey P. Helton is Pastor at The People’s Church in Franklin, Tennessee, a position he has held since 2012. Mr. Helton also serves as an Executive/Life Coach at WellSpring Coaching, a company he co-founded in 2010.  Mr. Helton has served as a Trustee of the Elkhorn Funds since 2015.
 
 
 
 
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Interested Trustee.   Benjamin T. Fulton is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Elkhorn Funds and Chief Executive Officer and President of both Elkhorn Investments as well as Elkhorn Capital Group, LLC, the sole member of Elkhorn Investments.  Previously, Mr. Fulton served as Managing Director at Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC from 2005-2013.  He has nearly three decades of experience in the investment management industry.  Mr. Fulton has served as a Trustee of the Elkhorn Funds since 2015.
 
Each Independent Trustee is paid a fixed annual retainer of $10,000 per year.  The fixed annual retainer is allocated pro rata among each fund in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex based on net assets.  Trustees are also reimbursed by the investment companies in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.
 
The following table sets forth the estimated compensation (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) to be paid by the Fund and by the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex for one fiscal year.  The Trust has no retirement or pension plans.  The officers and Trustee who are “interested persons” as designated above serve without any compensation from the Trust.  The Trust has no employees.  Its officers are compensated by Elkhorn Investments.
 
Name of Trustee
Estimated Compensation from the Fund (1)
Estimated Total Compensation from
the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex (2)
Bruce Howard
$10,000
$10,000
Gregory D. Bunch
$10,000
$10,000
Jeffrey P. Helton
$10,000
$10,000
____________________
(1)
The estimated compensation to be paid by the Fund to the Independent Trustees for one fiscal year for services to the Fund.
 
(2)
The estimated total compensation paid to the Independent Trustees for one fiscal year for services to all Funds advised by Elkhorn Investments.
 
The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustees in the Fund and in other funds overseen by the Trustees in the Elkhorn Investments Fund Complex as of March 31, 2015:  
Trustee
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities
in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
All Registered Investment Companies
Overseen by Trustee in the Elkhorn Investments
Fund Complex
Interested Trustee
   
Benjamin T. Fulton
None
None
     
Independent Trustees
   
Bruce Howard
None
None
Gregory D. Bunch
None
None
 
 
 
 
- 17 -

 
 
 
 
 
 
Trustee
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities
in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
All Registered Investment Companies
Overseen by Trustee in the Elkhorn Investments
Fund Complex
Jeffrey P. Helton
None
None
 
As of March 31, 2015, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.
 
As of March 31, 2015, the officers and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.
 
Investment Adviser.   The Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the Independent Trustees, approved an investment management agreement (the “ Investment Management Agreement ”) for the Fund for an initial term ending March 31, 2017.  The Board of Trustees determined that the Investment Management Agreement is in the best interests of the Fund in light of the services, expenses and such other matters as the Board of Trustees considered to be relevant in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment.
 
Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement between Elkhorn Investments and the Trust, Elkhorn Investments will manage the investment of the Fund’s assets and will be responsible for paying all expenses of the Fund, excluding the fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses.  The Fund has agreed to pay Elkhorn Investments an annual management fee equal to 0.29% of its average daily net assets.
 
Elkhorn Investments, 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, is the investment adviser to the Fund.  Elkhorn Investments is a limited liability company with a sole member, Elkhorn Capital Group, LLC.  Elkhorn Investments discharges its responsibilities subject to the policies of the Board of Trustees.
 
Elkhorn Investments provides investment tools and portfolios for advisers and investors.  Elkhorn Investments is committed to theoretically sound portfolio construction and empirically verifiable investment management approaches.  Its asset management philosophy and investment discipline is deeply rooted in the application of intuitive factor analysis and model implementation to enhance investment decisions.
 
Elkhorn Investments acts as investment adviser for and manages the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund.  Elkhorn Investments also administers the Trust’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and permits any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as Trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions.
 
Under the Investment Management Agreement, Elkhorn Investments shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made
 
 
 
- 18 -

 
 

by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of Elkhorn Investments in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties.  The Investment Management Agreement continues until March 31, 2017, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees.  The Investment Management Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to Elkhorn Investments, or by Elkhorn Investments on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.
 
Investment Committee.   The Investment Committee of Elkhorn Investments (the “Investment Committee” ) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  There are currently four members of the Investment Committee, as follows:
 
Name
Position with
Elkhorn Investments
Length of Service
with Elkhorn Investments
Principal Occupation
During Past Five Years
Benjamin T. Fulton
Chief Executive Officer
Since 2013
Chief Executive Officer and President, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2013-present; Managing Director, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC, 2005-2013
Graham Day
Director
Since 2014
Director of Product Development, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2014-present; Senior Strategist (2013-2014), Product Manager (2011-2013), Research Analyst (2009-2011), Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC
Jeff Wynsma
Director
Since 2013
Director, Product Strategy & Research, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2013-present; Financial Consultant, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., 2010-2013
Jordan Golz
Analyst
Since 2014
Analyst, Elkhorn Investments, LLC, 2014-present
 
No member of the Investment Committee beneficially owns any shares of the Fund.
 
Compensation.   The compensation structure for each member of the Investment Committee is based upon a fixed salary as well as a discretionary bonus determined by the
 
 
 
- 19 -

 
 
 


management of Elkhorn Investments.  Salaries are determined by management and are based upon an individual’s position and overall value to the firm.  Bonuses are also determined by management and are based upon an individual’s overall contribution to the success of the firm and the profitability of the firm.  Salaries and bonuses for members of the Investment Committee are not based upon criteria such as performance of the Fund or the value of assets included in the Fund’s portfolio.
 
The Investment Committee manages the investment vehicles (other than the series of the Trust) with the number of accounts and assets, as of March 31, 2015, set forth in the table below:
 
Accounts Managed by Investment Committee
 
Investment Committee Member
Registered Investment Companies
Number of Accounts
($ assets)
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
Number of Accounts
($ assets)
Other Accounts Number of Accounts ($ Assets)
Benjamin T. Fulton
— ($—)
— ($—)
— ($—)
Graham Day
— ($—)
— ($—)
— ($—)
Jeff Wynsma
— ($—)
— ($—)
— ($—)
Jordan Golz
— ($—)
— ($—)
— ($—)
____________________
 
Conflicts.   None of the accounts managed by the Investment Committee pay an advisory fee that is based upon the performance of the account.  In addition, Elkhorn Investments believes that there are no material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with the Investment Committee’s management of the Fund’s investments and the investments of the other accounts managed by the Investment Committee.  However, because the investment strategy of the Fund and the investment strategies of many of the other accounts managed by the Investment Committee are based on fairly mechanical investment processes, the Investment Committee may recommend that certain clients sell and other clients buy a given security at the same time.  In addition, because the investment strategies of the Fund and other accounts managed by the Investment Committee generally result in the clients investing in readily available securities, Elkhorn Investments believes that there should not be material conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and other accounts managed by the Investment Committee.
 
In addition, the Adviser may make payments out of its own internal resources and profits from all sources to other financial intermediaries to encourage the sale of Shares of the Fund.  The payments are intended to compensate financial intermediaries (including broker-dealers) for, among other things: marketing Shares, which may consist of payments relating to the Fund,

 
 
- 20 -

 
 
 
 


including but not limited to: inclusion on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the financial intermediaries; access to the financial intermediaries registered sales persons; and/or other specified services or persons intended to assist in the marketing of the Funds.  Such payments may be based on various factors, including levels of assets and/or sales (based on gross or net sales or some other criteria).  These payments may create an incentive for a financial intermediary to sell and recommend certain investment products, including the Fund, over other products for which it may receive less compensation.  You may contact your financial intermediary if you want information regarding the any payment it receives from the Adviser.
 
Brokerage Allocations
 
Elkhorn Investments is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund and for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on brokered transactions, the prices for principal trades in securities, and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business.  It is the policy of Elkhorn Investments to seek the best execution at the best security price available with respect to each transaction, and with respect to brokered transactions in light of the overall quality of brokerage and research services provided to Elkhorn Investments and its clients.  The best price to the Fund means the best net price without regard to the mix between purchase or sale price and commission, if any.  Purchases may be made from underwriters, dealers, and, on occasion, the issuers.  Commissions will be paid on the Fund’s Futures transactions, if any.  The purchase price of portfolio securities purchased from an underwriter or dealer may include underwriting commissions and dealer spreads.  The Fund may pay mark-ups on principal transactions.  In selecting broker/dealers and in negotiating commissions, Elkhorn Investments considers, among other things, the firm’s reliability, the quality of its execution services on a continuing basis and its financial condition.  Fund portfolio transactions may be effected with broker/dealers who have assisted investors in the purchase of shares.
 
Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act” ) permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer who supplies brokerage and research services a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction.  Brokerage and research services include (i) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (ii) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (iii) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody).  Such brokerage and research services are often referred to as “soft dollars.”  Elkhorn Investments has advised the Board of Trustees that it does not currently intend to use soft dollars.
 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in selecting brokers, Elkhorn Investments may in the future consider investment and market information and other research, such as economic, securities and performance measurement research, provided by such brokers, and the quality and reliability of brokerage services, including execution capability, performance, and financial
 
 
 
 
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responsibility.  Accordingly, the commissions charged by any such broker may be greater than the amount another firm might charge if Elkhorn Investments determines in good faith that the amount of such commissions is reasonable in relation to the value of the research information and brokerage services provided by such broker to Elkhorn Investments or the Trust.  In addition, Elkhorn Investments must determine that the research information received in this manner provides the Fund with benefits by supplementing the research otherwise available to the Fund.  The Investment Management Agreement provides that such higher commissions will not be paid by the Fund unless the Adviser   determines in good faith that the amount is reasonable in relation to the services provided.  The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to Elkhorn Investments under the Investment Management Agreement would not be reduced as a result of receipt by Elkhorn Investments of research services.  
 
Elkhorn Investments places portfolio transactions for other advisory accounts advised by it, and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effects securities transactions may be used by Elkhorn Investments in servicing all of its accounts; not all of such services may be used by Elkhorn Investments in connection with the Fund.  Elkhorn Investments believes it is not possible to measure separately the benefits from research services to each of the accounts (including the Fund) advised by it.  Because the volume and nature of the trading activities of the accounts are not uniform, the amount of commissions in excess of those charged by another broker paid by each account for brokerage and research services will vary.  However, Elkhorn Investments believes such costs to the Fund will not be disproportionate to the benefits received by the Fund on a continuing basis.  Elkhorn Investments seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell securities by the Fund and another advisory account.  In some cases, this procedure could have an adverse effect on the price or the amount of securities available to the Fund.  In making such allocations between the Fund and other advisory accounts, the main factors considered by Elkhorn Investments are the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holding of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment and the size of investment commitments generally held.
 
Administrator.   Bank of New York Mellon ( “BNYM” ) serves as Administrator for the Fund.  Its principal address is 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286.
 
BNYM serves as Administrator for the Trust pursuant to a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement.  Under such agreement, BNYM is obligated on a continuous basis, to provide such administrative services as the Board of Trustees reasonably deems necessary for the proper administration of the Trust and the Fund.  BNYM will generally assist in all aspects of the Trust’s and the Fund’s operations; supply and maintain office facilities (which may be in BNYM’s own offices), statistical and research data, data processing services, clerical, accounting, bookkeeping and record keeping services (including, without limitation, the maintenance of such books and records as are required under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, except as maintained by other agency agents), internal auditing, executive and administrative services, and stationery and office supplies; prepare reports to shareholders or investors; prepare and file tax returns; supply financial information and supporting data for reports to and filings with the SEC and various state Blue Sky authorities; supply supporting

 
 
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documentation for meetings of the Board of Trustees; and provide monitoring reports and assistance regarding compliance with federal and state securities laws.
 
Pursuant to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has agreed to indemnify the Administrator for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties.
 
Pursuant to the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between BNYM and the Trust, the Fund has agreed to pay such compensation as is mutually agreed from time to time and such out-of-pocket expenses as incurred by BNYM in the performance of its duties.  This fee is subject to reduction for assets over $1 billion.
 
Custodian, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Distributor, Index Provider and Exchange
 
Custodian, Transfer Agent and Accounting Agent .  BNYM, as custodian for the Fund pursuant to a Custody Agreement, holds the Fund’s assets.  BNYM also serves as transfer agent of the Fund pursuant to an Administrative Agency Agreement.  As the Fund’s accounting agent, BNYM calculates the net asset value of shares and calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses.  BNYM may be reimbursed by the Fund for its out-of-pocket expenses.
 
Distributor.   ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the distributor (the “ Distributor ”) and principal underwriter of the Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund.  Its principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.  The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Fund shares.  Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”
 
Elkhorn Investments may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares. Elkhorn Investments’ available resources to make these payments include profits from advisory fees received from the Fund. The services Elkhorn Investments may pay for include, but are not limited to, advertising and attaining access to certain conferences and seminars, as well as being presented with the opportunity to address investors and industry professionals through speeches and written marketing materials.
 
12b-1 Plan.   The Trust has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Plan” ) pursuant to which the Fund may reimburse the Distributor up to a maximum annual rate of 0.25% of its average daily net assets.
 
Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. With the exception of the Distributor and its affiliates, no “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is
 
 
 
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defined in the 1940 Act) and no Trustee of the Trust has a direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any related agreement.
 
No fee is currently paid by the Fund under the plan, and the Fund will not pay 12b-1 fees any time before March 31, 2017.
 
Aggregations.   Fund shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor.  The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to Authorized Participants purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it.  The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ( “FINRA” ).
 
The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund.  The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
 
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with participants that utilize the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “DTC Participants” ), which have international, operational, capabilities and place orders for Creation Unit Aggregations of Fund shares.  Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations” below) shall be DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares” below).
 
Index Provider.   The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund, ALPS or Elkhorn Investments.  The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sublicensing arrangement by and between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Elkhorn Investments, which in turn has a license agreement with the Index Provider.
 
Standard & Poor’s ® and S&P ® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC ( “S&P” ) and Dow Jones ® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ( “Dow Jones” ).  The trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its affiliates and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser.  The Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by the Adviser.  The Adviser’s products are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices” ).  S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Adviser’s products or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in Adviser’s products particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance.  S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to the Adviser with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices.  The Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to the Adviser or the Adviser’s products.  S&P Dow Jones Indices have no

 
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obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the owners of Adviser’s products into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index.  S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Adviser’s products or the timing of the issuance or sale of Adviser’s products or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Adviser’s products is to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Adviser’s products. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns.  S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisers.  Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
 
S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO.  S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN.  S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF THE ADVISER’S PRODUCTS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO.  WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE.  THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND THE ADVISER, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
 
The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein, and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein.  The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the Shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein.  The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein.  Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
 
 
 
 
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Exchange .  The only relationship that the Exchange   has with Elkhorn Investments or the Distributor of the Fund in connection with the Fund is that the Exchange lists the shares of the Fund pursuant to its listing agreement with the Trust.  The Exchange is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of pricing or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares of the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the asset value of the Fund.  The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
 
Additional Information
 
Book Entry Only System.   The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.
 
DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares.   Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company ( “DTC” ) or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
 
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants” ) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities, certificates.  DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC.  More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE” ) and FINRA.  Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants” ).
 
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants.  Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners” ) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants).  Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of shares.
 
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows.  Pursuant to a letter agreement between DTC and the Trust, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant.  The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant.  The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may
 
 
 
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be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners.  In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
 
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, as the registered holder of all Fund shares.  DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee.  Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
 
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
 
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law.  Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
 
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
 
The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.
 
The Board has delegated to Elkhorn Investments the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed Elkhorn Investments to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests.  Elkhorn Investments has engaged the services of Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. ( “ISS” ), to make recommendations to Elkhorn Investments on the voting of proxies relating to securities held by the Fund.  If Elkhorn Investments manages the assets of a company or its pension plan and any of Elkhorn Investments’ clients hold any securities of that company, Elkhorn Investments will vote proxies relating to such company’s securities in accordance with the ISS recommendations to avoid any conflict of interest.  While these guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive, they do provide guidance on Elkhorn Investments’ general voting policies.  
 
Elkhorn Investments has adopted the ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines. While these guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive, they do provide guidance on Elkhorn Investments’ general voting policies. The ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines are attached hereto as Exhibit A.
 
 
 
 
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Quarterly Portfolio Schedule.   The Trust is required to disclose, after its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q.  Form N-Q for the Trust is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.  The Fund’s Form N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.  The Trust’s Forms N-Q are available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-844-355-3837 or by writing to Elkhorn ETF Trust, 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.
 
Policy Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings.   The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings.  The Board of Trustees must approve all material amendments to this policy.  The Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites.  In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated each day the NYSE is open for trading via the National Securities Clearing Corporation ( “NSCC” ).  The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund.  The Fund’s portfolio holdings are also available on the Fund’s website at http://www.elkhorn.com.  The Trust, Elkhorn Investments and ALPS will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
 
Codes of Ethics.   In order to mitigate the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by personal trading, the Trust, Elkhorn Investments and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act.  These Codes of Ethics contain policies restricting securities trading in personal accounts of access persons who normally come into possession of information on portfolio transactions.  Personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics may invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund; however, the Codes of Ethics require that each transaction in such securities be reviewed by the Compliance Department. These Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
 
Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations
 
Creation.   The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their net asset values next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form.
 
A “Business Day” is any day on which the NYSE is open for business.  As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
 
Deposit of Securities and Deposit or Delivery of Cash.   The consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund may consist of (i) cash in lieu of all or a portion of the Deposit Securities, as defined below; and/or (ii) a designated portfolio of equity securities determined by Elkhorn Investments—the “Deposit Securities”—per each Creation Unit

 
 
 
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Aggregation constituting a substantial replication of the stocks included in the underlying index and generally an amount of cash—the “Cash Component”—computed as described below.  Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component (including the cash in lieu amount) constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.
 
The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the Balancing Amount.  The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation and the Deposit Amount (as defined below).  The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the “Deposit Amount”—an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities and/or cash in lieu of all or a portion of the Deposit Securities.  If the Cash Component is a positive number ( i.e. , the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver the Cash Component.  If the Cash Component is a negative number ( i.e. , the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will receive the Cash Component.
 
The Custodian, through the NSCC (discussed below), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund.
 
Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.
 
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund change as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected within the Fund from time to time by Elkhorn Investments with a view to the investment objective of the Fund.  The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component stocks of the underlying index.  In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash— i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount—to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available, that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which might not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant ( “AP” ) or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason.  The adjustments described above will reflect changes known to Elkhorn Investments on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the underlying index or resulting from certain corporate actions.
 
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Fund Deposit, the Custodian, through the NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day, the estimated Cash Component, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.
 
 
 
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Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations.   In order to be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund, an entity must be a DTC Participant (see the Book Entry Only System section), and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor and transfer agent, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations ( “Participant Agreement” ) (discussed below), and have international operational capabilities.  A DTC Participant is also referred to as an AP.  Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of APs that have signed a Participant Agreement.  All Fund shares, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.
 
All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations must be received by the transfer agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE ( “Closing Time” ) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected based on the net asset value of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form.  In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the transfer agent no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the trade date.  A custom order may be placed by an AP in the event that the Trust permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such AP or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason.  The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations (or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.”  Orders must be transmitted by an AP by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the transfer agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement.  Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the transfer agent or an AP.  
 
All orders from investors who are not APs to create Creation Unit Aggregations shall be placed with an AP, as applicable, in the form required by such AP.  In addition, the AP may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g. , to provide for payments of cash, when required.  Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an AP that has executed a Participant Agreement.  In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor.  At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.  Those persons placing orders should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.
 
Placement of Creation Orders. In order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an AP must submit an order to purchase for one or more Creation Units.  All such orders must be received by a Fund’s transfer agent in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in order to receive that day’s closing net asset value per share.  Orders must be placed in proper form by or through an AP, which is a DTC Participant, i.e. , a subcustodian of the Trust.  Deposit Securities must be delivered to the Trust

 
 
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through DTC or NSCC, and Deposit Securities which are non-U.S. securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian of the Trust on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date, as defined below.  If a Deposit Security is an American Depository Receipt  ( “ADR” ) or similar domestic instrument, it may be delivered to the Custodian.  The AP must also pay on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date immediately available or same-day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the creation order, together with the applicable Creation Transaction Fee and additional variable amounts, as described below.  The “International Contractual Settlement Date” is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Fund; or (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction(s) where any of the securities of such Fund are customarily traded.    A custom order may be placed by an AP in the event that a Fund permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component (if applicable) to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such AP or the investor for which it is acting or any other relevant reason.
 
The AP must also make available no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the International Contractual Settlement Date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately-available or same-day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fee.  Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit Aggregation.
 
A Creation Unit Aggregation will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the portfolio of Deposit Securities, the payment of the Cash Component, the payment of any other cash amounts and the Creation Transaction Fee (as defined below) have been completed.  When the required Deposit Securities which are U.S. securities have been delivered to the Trust through DTC or NSCC, and Deposit Securities which are non-U.S. securities have been delivered to the Custodian and each relevant subcustodian confirms to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities which are non-U.S. securities (or, when permitted in the sole discretion of Trust, the cash in lieu thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, the Custodian shall notify the Distributor and the transfer agent which, acting on behalf of the Trust, will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit Aggregations.  The Trust may in its sole discretion permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ( i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other relevant reasons.  If the Distributor, acting on behalf of the Trust, determines that a “cash in lieu” amount will be accepted, the Distributor will notify the AP and the transfer agent, and the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the “cash in lieu” amount, with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust as discussed below.
 
In the event that an order for a Creation Unit is incomplete on the International Contractual Settlement Date because certain or all of the Deposit Securities are missing, the Trust may issue a Creation Unit notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall

 
 
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be secured by an additional cash deposit (described below) with respect to the undelivered Deposit Securities.  The Trust may permit, in its discretion, the AP to substitute a different security in lieu of depositing some or all of the Deposit Securities.  Substitution of cash or a different security might be permitted or required, for example, because one or more Deposit Securities may be unavailable in the quantity needed or may not be eligible for trading by the AP due to local trading restrictions or other restrictions.
 
To the extent contemplated by the applicable Participant Agreement, Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund will be issued to such AP notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds having a value (marked to market daily) at least  equal to 105% which Elkhorn Investments may change from time to time of the value of the missing Deposit Securities.  Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date.  The Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the value of the collateral.
 
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations.   The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to the Fund if:  (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Fund shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as disseminated for that date by the Custodian, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or Elkhorn Investments, have an adverse effect on the Trust, the Fund or the rights of Beneficial Owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Distributor and Elkhorn Investments make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders.  Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, Elkhorn Investments, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events.  In addition, an order may be rejected for practical reasons such as the imposition by a foreign government or a regulatory body of controls, or other monetary, currency or trading restrictions that directly affect the portfolio securities held or systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting any relevant sub-custodian.  The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the AP acting on behalf of such prospective creator of its rejection of the order of such person.  The Trust, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
 
 
 
 
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All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
 
Creation Transaction Fee. Purchasers of Creation Units must pay a creation transaction fee (the “Creation Transaction Fee” ) that is currently $500.  The Creation Transaction Fee is applicable to each purchase transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction.  The Creation Transaction Fee may vary and is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled.  The Creation Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the Index.  The price for each Creation Unit will equal the daily net asset value per share times the number of shares in a Creation Unit plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes.  When the Fund permits an AP to substitute cash or a different security in lieu of depositing one or more of the requisite Deposit Securities, the AP may also be assessed an amount to cover the cost of purchasing the Deposit Securities and/or disposing of the substituted securities, including operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes, and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to such Deposit Securities and/or substitute securities.
 
As discussed above, shares of the Fund may be issued in advance of receipt of all Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities.
 
Redemption of Fund Shares In Creation Unit Aggregations.   Fund shares may be redeemed only in Creation Unit Aggregations at their net asset value next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the transfer agent and only on a Business Day.  The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations.  Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation in order to have such shares redeemed by the Trust.  There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation.  Investors should expect to incur customary brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Fund shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit Aggregation.  A redeeming beneficial owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded.  If such arrangements cannot be made, or it is not possible to effect deliveries of the portfolio securities in a particular jurisdiction or under certain other circumstances (for example, holders may incur unfavorable tax treatment in some countries if they are entitled to receive “in-kind” redemption proceeds), Fund shares may be redeemed for cash at the discretion of Elkhorn Investments.
 
With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the identity of the Fund Securities (as defined below) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as described below)

 
 
 
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on that day.  Fund Securities (as defined below) received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Unit Aggregations.
 
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of a portfolio of securities ( “Fund Securities” )—as announced on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form—plus or minus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Fund shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount” ), less the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee as listed below and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes.  In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the net asset value of the Fund shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference plus, the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes is required to be made by or through an AP by the redeeming shareholder.
 
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund or determination of the Fund’s net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as are permitted by the SEC.
 
Redemption Transaction Fee.   Parties redeeming Creation Units must pay a redemption transaction fee (the “Redemption Transaction Fee” ) that is currently $500.  The Redemption Transaction Fee is applicable to each redemption transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction.  The Redemption Transaction Fee may vary and is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled.  The Redemption Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the Index.  The Fund reserves the right to effect redemptions in cash.  A shareholder may request a cash redemption in lieu of securities; however, the Fund may, in its discretion, reject any such request.  Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.  Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an AP to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be charged an additional fee for such services.
 
Placement of Redemption Orders .  Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations must be delivered through an AP that has executed a Participant Agreement.  Investors other than APs are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an AP.  An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if:  (i) such order is received by BNYM (in its capacity as transfer agent) not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to BNYM; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.
 
 
 
 
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Deliveries of Fund Securities to investors are generally expected to be made within three Business Days.  Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds for the Fund may take longer than three Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form.  In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.  Under the 1940 Act, the Fund would generally be required to make payment of redemption proceeds within seven days after a security is tendered for redemption.  However, because the settlement of redemptions of Fund shares is contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the United States securities markets, but also on delivery cycles of foreign markets, pursuant to an exemptive order on which the Fund may rely, the Fund’s in-kind redemption proceeds must be paid within the maximum number of calendar days required for such payment or satisfaction in the principal local foreign markets where transactions in portfolio securities customarily clear and settle, but generally no later than 12 calendar days following tender of a Creation Unit Aggregation.  
 
In connection with taking delivery of shares of non-U.S. Fund Securities upon redemption of shares of the Fund, a redeeming Beneficial Owner, or AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered.
 
To the extent contemplated by an AP’s agreement, in the event the AP has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit Aggregation to be redeemed to the Fund’s transfer agent, the transfer agent will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the AP to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible.  Such undertaking shall be secured by the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105%, which Elkhorn Investments may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares.
 
The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by BNYM and marked to market daily, and that the fees of BNYM and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the AP.  If the AP’s agreement provides for collateralization, it will permit the Trust, on behalf of the affected Fund, to purchase the missing shares at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares and the value of the collateral.
 
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received upon redemption will be made by BNYM according to the procedures set forth in this SAI under “Determination of Net Asset Value” computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust.  Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to BNYM by a DTC Participant not later than Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the Fund are delivered to BNYM prior to the “DTC Cut-Off-Time,” then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by BNYM on such Transmittal Date.  If, however, a

 
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redemption order is submitted to BNYM by a DTC Participant not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the Fund are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time, as described above, on such Transmittal Date; or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date.  In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be computed on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the Trust, i.e., the Business Day on which the shares of the Fund are delivered through DTC to BNYM by the “DTC Cut-Off-Time” on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
 
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Fund shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.  In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit.  In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its Fund shares based on the net asset value of shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).  The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities, or cash in lieu of some securities added to the Cash Component, but in no event will the total value of the securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the net asset value.
 
Redemptions of Fund shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.  An AP or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be paid an equivalent amount of cash.  The AP may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the Fund shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment, beneficial ownership of shares or delivery instructions.
 
Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the listing exchange for the Fund is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase and sell shares of the Fund on the listing exchange for the Fund, on days when the net asset value of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
 
Federal Tax Matters
 
This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund.  This section is current as of the date of the Prospectus.  Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax
 
 
 
 
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consequences to all taxpayers.  For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances.  In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.
 
This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund.  The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section.  In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund.  This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.
 
As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.
 
The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code” ).
 
To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year.  There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis , and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.
 
As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders.  The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain.  If the Fund retains any net
 
 
 
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capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained.  In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years.  In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement.  A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.  Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.
 
Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company or failed to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.
 
Distributions
 
Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares.  However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates.  In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself.  Dividends received by the Fund from foreign corporations and from REITs are qualifying dividends eligible for this lower tax rate only in certain circumstances.
 
The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend, which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.  The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution, which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.
 
Under the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010,” income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax” imposed for taxable years beginning after 2012.  This tax will generally apply to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.
 
 
 
 
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A corporation that owns shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies.  However, certain ordinary income dividends on shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.
 
Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares.  Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares, rather than cash, generally will have a cost basis in each such share equal to the value of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date.  A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares.  To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the shares.
 
Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares will receive a report as to the value of those shares.
 
Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares
 
Upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares.  Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year.
 
Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities.  In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.  Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to such shares.
 
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
 
If a shareholder exchanges equity securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or a loss.  The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid.  If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units
 
 
 
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for equity securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount.  The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
 
Nature of Fund Investments
 
Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur; and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.
 
Futures Contracts and Options
 
The Fund’s transactions in Futures Contracts and options will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund ( i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital, or short-term or long-term), may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and may defer Fund losses.  These rules could, therefore, affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders.  These provisions also (i) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio ( i.e., treat them as if they were closed out); and (ii) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement for qualifying to be taxed as a regulated investment company and the distribution requirements for avoiding excise taxes.
 
Investments in Certain Foreign Corporations
 
If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” ( PFICs” ), which are generally certain foreign corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders.  The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes.  The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences.  In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income.  Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions

 
 
 
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from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above).  Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.
 
Backup Withholding
 
The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax from all taxable distributions and sale proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding.  Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding.  This withholding is not an additional tax.  Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
 
Non-U.S. Shareholders
 
U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, a foreign corporation or foreign partnership ( “non-U.S. shareholder” ) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.
 
In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions after June 30, 2014, to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury.  For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business; (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business; or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a Futures Contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities.  Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2016.
 
Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded foreign entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, foreign governments, international organizations, or foreign central banks) after June 30, 2014, will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner.  Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2016.
 
Income Not Effectively Connected.   If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of
 
 
- 41 -

 
 


investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.
 
Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.  However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax.  In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption.  If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s shares of the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.
 
In addition, capital gains distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return.
 
Income Effectively Connected.   If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations.  Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code.  The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein.  Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
 
Other Taxation
 
Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions.  Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
 
 
 
- 42 -

 
 
 
 
Determination of Net Asset Value
 
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Net Asset Value.”
 
The per share net asset value of the Fund is determined by dividing the total value of the securities and other assets, less liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding.  Under normal circumstances, daily calculation of the net asset value will utilize the last closing price of each security held by the Fund at the close of the market on which such security is principally listed.  In determining net asset value, portfolio securities for the Fund for which accurate market quotations are readily available will be valued by the Fund accounting agent as follows:
 
(1) Common stocks and other equity securities listed on any national or foreign exchange other than NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market ( “AIM” ) will be valued at the last sale price on the business day as of which such value is being determined.  Securities listed on NASDAQ   or AIM are valued at the official closing price on the business day as of which such value is being determined.  If there has been no sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of securities traded on NASDAQ and AIM, the securities are valued at the mean of the most recent bid and ask prices on such day.  Portfolio securities traded on more than one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange representing the principal market for such securities.
 
(2) Securities traded in the OTC market are valued at the midpoint between the bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid prices.
 
In addition, the following types of securities will be valued as follows:
 
(1) Fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or more will be valued by the fund accounting agent using a pricing service.  When price quotes are not available, fair value is based on prices of comparable securities.
 
(2) Fixed income securities maturing within 60 days are valued by the Fund accounting agent on an amortized cost basis.
 
The value of any portfolio security held by the Fund for which market quotations are not readily available will be determined by Elkhorn Investments in a manner that most fairly reflects fair market value of the security on the valuation date, based on a consideration of all available information.
 
Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods.  Such securities may be valued by the Board of Trustees or its delegate at fair value.  These securities generally include but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the 1933 Act) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose

 
 
 
- 43 -

 
 


market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of Fund net asset value (as may be the case in foreign markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.”  As a general principle, the current “fair value” of an issue of securities would appear to be the amount, that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for them upon their current sale.  A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities.
 
Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations.  Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by the Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index.
 
Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase the shares of the Fund, the value of the Fund’s investments may change on the days when shareholders are not able to purchase the shares of the Fund.
 
The Fund may suspend the right of redemption for the Fund only under the following unusual circumstances: (i) when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays) or trading is restricted; (ii) when trading in the markets normally utilized is restricted, or when an emergency exists as determined by the SEC so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of its net assets is not reasonably practicable; or (iii) during any period when the SEC may permit.   
 
Dividends and Distributions
 
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”
 
General Policies.   Dividends from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually.  Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis.  The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
 
Dividends and other distributions of Fund shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares.  Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
 
Dividend Reinvestment Service.   No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust.  Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use

 
 
- 44 -

 



by Beneficial Owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions.  Beneficial Owners should contact their brokers in order to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein.  Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.  If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.
 
Miscellaneous Information
 
Counsel.   Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, is counsel to the Trust.
 
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.   Grant Thornton, LLP, 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm.  The firm audits the Fund’s financial statements and performs other related audit services.
 
Financial Statements
 
Grant Thornton, LLP is the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. Grant Thornton, LLP will audit the Fund’s annual financial statements, once the Fund becomes operational. A copy of the Fund’s Annual Report, once available, may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing or by calling the Fund at 1-844-355-3837.
 
The Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities and accompanying Notes to Financial Statements, dated as of April 23, 2015, and Grant Thornton LLP’s report thereon, are attached to this Registration Statement and can be found starting on page 46.
 

 
- 45 -

 
 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
 
 
 
 
To the Shareholder and Board of Trustees of
The Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of the Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund”), which comprises the Elkhorn ETF Trust as of April 23, 2015.  The statement of assets and liabilities is the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on this statement of assets and liabilities based on our audit.
 
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the statement of assets and liabilities is free of material misstatement.  We were not engaged to perform an audit of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.  Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’ internal control over financial reporting.  Accordingly, we express no such opinion.  An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the statement of assets and liabilities, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall statement of assets and liabilities presentation.  We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
In our opinion, the statement of assets and liabilities referred to above presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio as of April 23, 2015, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
 
 
/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
 
Chicago, Illinois
April 28, 2015
 
 
 
- 46 -

 
 
 
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
 
April 23, 2015
 
 
 
ASSETS:
   
    Cash   $    100,000  
  Total Assets   $    100,000  
         
         
    Paid in Capital   $    100,000  
  Net assets   $    100,000  
       
  Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized @ $0.01 par value)             4,000  
       
  Net asset value per share   $        25.00  
 

 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

Note 1:  Organization

The Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust”) was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on December 17, 2013, and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series or “Funds.”  The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ).  The Trust currently offers shares in one series, The Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund”), a non-diversified series.  As of the date of these financials, the Fund has not yet commenced operations; however, initial seed money has been deposited for this newly formed Trust.

The Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio seeks investment results that generally correspond (before fees and expenses) to the price and yield of the S&P 500 ® Capex Efficiency Index (the “Index”).  Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 90% of its total assets in U.S. common stocks, which represent the securities in the Index.  Fund shareholders are entitled to 60 days’ notice prior to any change in this non-fundamental investment policy.

Note 2:  Significant Accounting Policies

The preparation of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.  Actual results could differ from these estimates.
 
 
 
- 47 -

 
 
 
The Trust treats each Fund as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes.  The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and to make distributions from net investment income and from net realized capital gains sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes.

Note 3: Related Party Transactions

Elkhorn Investments, LLC (the Adviser), serves as the investment adviser of the Fund with responsibility for the overall management of the Fund. Under an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Fund, the adviser will be paid an Investment Management Fee, at an annual rate of 0.29%, which will accrue daily on the basis of the average daily NAV of the Fund.   This investment management fee will be paid to the Adviser out of the Fund’s assets.

Note 4:  Other Service Providers

Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Funds’ Administrator, Custodian, Accounting Agent and Transfer Agent.

ALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as the Funds’ Distributor and Chief Compliance Officer.

Note 5:  Organization and Offering Costs

Expenses incurred in connection with organizing the Trust and Fund were paid by the Adviser.  The Fund does not have an obligation to reimburse the Adviser or its affiliates for organizational expenses paid on its behalf.

Note 6:  Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Fund through the date the financial statements were issued, and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.
 
 
- 48 -

 
 
 
Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

 
United States
 
Concise Proxy Voting
Guidelines

2015 Benchmark Policy Recommendations


 
 
 
 
 
A - 1

 
 
 
The policies contained herein are a sampling of select, key U.S. proxy voting guidelines and
are not exhaustive.  A full listing of ISS’ 2015 proxy voting guidelines can be found at:
http://www.issgovernance.com/policy-gateway/2015-policy-information/
 
 
ROUTINE/MISCELLANEOUS
 
Auditor Ratification
 
    General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to ratify auditors unless any of the following apply:
 
  An auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent;
  There is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion that is neither accurate nor indicative of the company’s financial position;
  Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a serious level of concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures; or
  Fees for non-audit services (“Other” fees) are excessive.
 
Non-audit fees are excessive if:
 
  Non-audit (“other”) fees > audit fees + audit-related fees + tax compliance/preparation fees
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
 
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
 
    General Recommendation: Generally vote for director nominees, except under the following circumstances:
 
     1. Accountability
 
Vote against 1   or withhold from the entire board of directors (except new nominees 2 , who should be considered case- by-case) for the following:
 
 
Problematic Takeover Defenses
 
             Classified Board Structure:

----------------------
1 In general, companies with a plurality vote standard use “Withhold” as the contrary vote option in director elections; companies with a majority vote standard use “Against”.  However, it will vary by company and the proxy must be checked to determine the valid contrary vote option for the particular company.
 
2   A “new nominee” is any current nominee who has not already been elected by shareholders and who joined the board after the problematic action in question transpired.  If ISS cannot determine whether the nominee joined the board before or after the problematic action transpired, the nominee will be considered a “new nominee” if he or she joined the board within the 12 months prior to the upcoming shareholder meeting.
 
1.1 The board is classified, and a continuing director responsible for a problematic governance issue at
 
 
A - 2

 

the board/committee level that would warrant a withhold/against vote recommendation is not up for election.  All appropriate nominees (except new) may be held accountable.
 
Director Performance Evaluation:
 
1.2 The board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers.  Sustained poor performance is measured by one- and three-year total shareholder returns in the bottom half of a company’s four-digit GICS industry group (Russell 3000 companies only).  Take into consideration the company’s five-year total shareholder return and operational metrics.  Problematic provisions include but are not limited to:
 
  A classified board structure;
  A supermajority vote requirement;
  Either a plurality vote standard in uncontested director elections or a majority vote standard with no plurality carve-out for contested elections;
  The inability of shareholders to call special meetings;
  The inability of shareholders to act by written consent;
  A dual-class capital structure; and/or
  A non–shareholder-approved poison pill.
 
Poison Pills:
 
1.3 The company’s poison pill has a “dead-hand” or “modified dead-hand” feature.  Vote against or withhold from nominees every year until this feature is removed;
 
1.4 The board adopts a poison pill with a term of more than 12 months (“long-term pill”), or renews any existing pill, including any “short-term” pill (12 months or less), without shareholder approval.  A commitment or policy that puts a newly adopted pill to a binding shareholder vote may potentially offset an adverse vote recommendation.  Review such companies with classified boards every year, and such companies with annually elected boards at least once every three years, and vote against or withhold votes from all nominees if the company still maintains a non-shareholder-approved poison pill; or
 
1.5 The board makes a material adverse change to an existing poison pill without shareholder approval.  Vote case-by-case on all nominees if:
 
1.6 The board adopts a poison pill with a term of 12 months or less (“short-term pill”) without shareholder approval, taking into account the following factors:
 
 
› The date of the pill‘s adoption relative to the date of the next meeting of shareholders— i.e. whether the company had time to put the pill on the ballot for shareholder ratification given the circumstances;
  The issuer’s rationale;
  The issuer’s governance structure and practices; and
  The issuer’s track record of accountability to shareholders.
 
Problematic Audit-Related Practices
 
Generally vote against or withhold from the members of the Audit Committee if:
 
1.7 The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive (see discussion under “Auditor Ratification”);
 
1.8 The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or
 
1.9 There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.
 
Vote case-by-case on members of the Audit Committee and potentially the full board if:
 
1.10 Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a level of serious concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures.  Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence, and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at
 
 
 
A - 3

 
 

     remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether withhold/against votes are warranted.
 
Problematic Compensation Practices/Pay for Performance Misalignment

In the absence of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation ballot item or in egregious situations, vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
 
1.11 There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
 
1.12 The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
 
1.13 The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders;
 
1.14 The company fails to submit one-time transfers of stock options to a shareholder vote; or
 
1.15 The company fails to fulfill the terms of a burn rate commitment made to shareholders.
 
    Vote case-by-case on Compensation Committee members (or, in exceptional cases, the full board) and the Management Say-on-Pay proposal if:
 
1.16 The company’s previous say-on-pay received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
 
  The company's response, including:
  Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
  Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
  Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
  Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
  The company's ownership structure; and
 
› Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.

Unilateral Bylaw/Charter Amendments
 
1.17 Generally vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board (except new nominees, who should be considered case-by-case) if the board amends the company's bylaws or charter without shareholder approval in a manner that materially diminishes shareholders' rights or that could adversely impact shareholders, considering the following factors, as applicable:
 
  The board's rationale for adopting the bylaw/charter amendment without shareholder ratification;
  Disclosure by the company of any significant engagement with shareholders regarding the amendment;
 
› The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the board's unilateral amendment to the bylaws/charter;
 
› The board's track record with regard to unilateral board action on bylaw/charter amendments or other entrenchment provisions;
  The company's ownership structure;
  The company's existing governance provisions;
  Whether the amendment was made prior to or in connection with the company's initial public offering;

 
› The timing of the board's amendment to the bylaws/charter in connection with a significant business development
 
› Other factors, as deemed appropriate, that may be relevant to determine the impact of the amendment on shareholders.
 
Governance Failures
 
 
 
A - 4

 
 
 
Under extraordinary circumstances, vote against or withhold from directors individually, committee members, or the entire board, due to:
 
1.18 Material failures of governance, stewardship, risk oversight 3 , or fiduciary responsibilities at the company;
 
1.19 Failure to replace management as appropriate; or
 
1.20 Egregious actions related to a director’s service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company.
 
2. Responsiveness
 
Vote case-by-case on individual directors, committee members, or the entire board of directors as appropriate if:
 
2 . 1 The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received the support of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year.  Factors that will be considered are:
 
 
› Disclosed outreach efforts by the board to shareholders in the wake of the vote;
 
› Rationale provided in the proxy statement for the level of implementation;
 
› The subject matter of the proposal;
 
› The level of support for and opposition to the resolution in past meetings;
 
› Actions taken by the board in response to the majority vote and its engagement with shareholders;
 
› The continuation of the underlying issue as a voting item on the ballot (as either shareholder or management proposals); and
 
› Other factors as appropriate.
 
2.2 
The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of shares are tendered;
 
2.3 
At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote;
 
2.4 
The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received the majority of votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency; or
 
2 .
The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received a plurality, but not a majority, of the votes cast at the most recent shareholder meeting at which shareholders voted on the say-on-pay frequency, taking into account:
 
 
›The board's rationale for selecting a frequency that is different from the frequency that received a plurality;
  The company's ownership structure and vote results;
 
›ISS' analysis of whether there are compensation concerns or a history of problematic compensation practices; and
  The previous year's support level on the company's say-on-pay proposal.
 
3. Composition
----------------------
3 Examples of failure of risk oversight include, but are not limited to: bribery; large or serial fines or sanctions from regulatory bodies; significant adverse legal judgments or settlements; hedging of company stock; or significant pledging of company stock.
 
 
Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings:
 
3.1 Generally vote against or withhold from directors (except new nominees, who should be
 
 
 
A - 5

 
 

considered case-by- case 4 ) who attend less than 75 percent of the aggregate of their board and committee meetings for the period for which they served, unless an acceptable reason for absences is disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing.  Acceptable reasons for director absences are generally limited to the following:
  Medical issues/illness;
  Family emergencies; and
  Missing only one meeting (when the total of all meetings is three or fewer).
 
3.2 If the proxy disclosure is unclear and insufficient to determine whether a director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate of his/her board and committee meetings during his/her period of service, vote against or withhold from the director(s) in question.
 
 
 
Overboarded Directors:
 
Vote against or withhold from individual directors who:
 
3.3 Sit on more than six public company boards; or
 
3.4 Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own— withhold only at their outside boards 5 .
 
4. Independence
 
Vote against or withhold from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Categorization of Directors ) when:
 
4.1 The inside or affiliated outside director serves on any of the three key committees: audit, compensation, or nominating;
 
4.2 The company lacks an audit, compensation, or nominating committee so that the full board functions as that committee;
 
4.3 The company lacks a formal nominating committee, even if the board attests that the independent directors fulfill the functions of such a committee; or
 
4.4 Independent directors make up less than a majority of the directors.
 
Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
 
General Recommendation: Generally vote for shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, taking into consideration the following:
 
  The scope of the proposal;
----------------------
4 For new nominees only, schedule conflicts due to commitments made prior to their appointment to the board are considered if disclosed in the proxy or another SEC filing.
5 Although all of a CEO’s subsidiary boards will be counted as separate boards, ISS will not recommend a withhold vote from the CEO of a parent company board or any of the controlled (>50 percent ownership) subsidiaries of that parent, but may do so at subsidiaries that are less than 50 percent controlled and boards outside the parent/subsidiary relationships.
 
  The company's current board leadership structure;
  The company's governance structure and practices;
  Company performance; and
  Any other relevant factors that may be applicable.
 
 
 
A - 6

 
 
 
Proxy Access
ISS supports proxy access as an important shareholder right, one that is complementary to other best-practice corporate governance features.  However, in the absence of a uniform standard, proposals to enact proxy access may vary widely; as such, ISS is not setting forth specific parameters at this time and will take a case-by-case approach in evaluating these proposals.

General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on proposals to enact proxy access, taking into account, among other factors:
  Company-specific factors; and
  Proposal-specific factors, including:
  The ownership thresholds proposed in the resolution ( i.e. , percentage and duration);
  The maximum proportion of directors that shareholders may nominate each year; and
 
› The method of determining which nominations should appear on the ballot if multiple shareholders submit nominations.
 
Proxy Contests—Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
 
  Long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry;
  Management’s track record;
  Background to the proxy contest;
  Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements;
  Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of critique against management;
  Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates);
  Stock ownership positions.
 
When the addition of shareholder nominees to the management card (“proxy access nominees”) results in a number of nominees on the management card which exceeds the number of seats available for election, vote case-by-case considering the same factors listed above.

1. SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS & DEFENSES
 
Litigation Rights (including Exclusive Venue and Fee-Shifting Bylaw Provisions)

Bylaw provisions impacting shareholders' ability to bring suit against the company may include exclusive venue provisions, which provide that the state of incorporation shall be the sole venue for certain types of litigation, and fee- shifting provisions that require a shareholder who sues a company unsuccessfully to pay all litigation expenses of the defendant corporation.
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on bylaws which impact shareholders' litigation rights, taking into account factors such as:
 
  The company's stated rationale for adopting such a provision;
 
› Disclosure of past harm from shareholder lawsuits in which plaintiffs were unsuccessful or shareholder lawsuits outside the jurisdiction of incorporation;

 
› The breadth of application of the bylaw, including the types of lawsuits to which it would apply and the definition of key terms; and
 
› Governance features such as shareholders' ability to repeal the provision at a later date (including the vote standard applied when shareholders attempt to amend the bylaws) and their ability to hold
 
 
 
 
A - 7

 
 
 
 
 directors accountable through annual director elections and a majority vote standard in uncontested elections.
 
Generally vote against bylaws that mandate fee-shifting whenever plaintiffs are not completely successful on the merits ( i.e. , in cases where the plaintiffs are partially successful).
 
Unilateral adoption by the board of bylaw provisions which affect shareholders' litigation rights will be evaluated under ISS' policy on Unilateral Bylaw/Charter Amendments .
 
 
CAPITAL/RESTRUCTURING
 
 
Common Stock Authorization
 
General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
 
Vote against proposals at companies with more than one class of common stock to increase the number of authorized shares of the class of common stock that has superior voting rights.

Vote against proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares if a vote for a reverse stock split on the same ballot is warranted despite the fact that the authorized shares would not be reduced proportionally.

Vote case-by-case on all other proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance.  Take into account company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
  Past Board Performance:
  The company's use of authorized shares during the last three years

  The Current Request:
  Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes of the proposed increase;
 
› Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request; and
 
› The dilutive impact of the request as determined by an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns.

 
Preferred Stock Authorization
 
General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized preferred shares where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
 

 
Vote against proposals at companies with more than one class or series of preferred stock to increase the number of authorized shares of the class or series of preferred stock that has superior voting rights.

Vote case-by-case on all other proposals to increase the number of shares of preferred stock authorized for issuance.  Take into account company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:

  Past Board Performance:
  The company's use of authorized preferred shares during the last three years;
 
  The Current Request:

 
 
 
A - 8

 
 
 
  Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes for the proposed increase;
  Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request;
 
› In cases where the company has existing authorized preferred stock, the dilutive impact of the request as determined by an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns; and
  Whether the shares requested are blank check preferred shares that can be used for antitakeover purposes.
 
Mergers and Acquisitions
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on mergers and acquisitions.  Review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
 
  ›
Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale.
  ›
Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal.
  ›
Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable.  Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions.
  ›
Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arm's-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders.  Significant negotiation "wins" can also signify the deal makers' competency.  The comprehensiveness of the sales process ( e.g. , full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value.
  ›
Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests.  Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger.  The CIC figure presented in the "ISS Transaction Summary" section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders.  Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists.
 
  ›
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance.
 
                COMPENSATION
 
Executive Pay Evaluation
 
Underlying all evaluations are five global principles that most investors expect corporations to adhere to in designing and administering executive and director compensation programs:
 
1.   
Maintain appropriate pay-for-performance alignment, with emphasis on long-term shareholder value: This principle encompasses overall executive pay practices, which must be designed to attract, retain, and appropriately motivate the key employees who drive shareholder value creation over the long term.  It will take into consideration, among other factors, the link

 
 
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between pay and performance; the mix between fixed and variable pay; performance goals; and equity-based plan costs;
 
2.   
Avoid arrangements that risk “pay for failure”: This principle addresses the appropriateness of long or indefinite contracts, excessive severance packages, and guaranteed compensation;
 
3.   
Maintain an independent and effective compensation committee: This principle promotes oversight of executive pay programs by directors with appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and a sound process for compensation decision-making ( e.g. , including access to independent expertise and advice when needed); 
 
4.   
Provide shareholders with clear, comprehensive compensation disclosures: This principle underscores the importance of informative and timely disclosures that enable shareholders to evaluate executive pay practices fully and fairly;
 
5.   
Avoid inappropriate pay to non-executive directors: This principle recognizes the interests of shareholders in ensuring that compensation to outside directors does not compromise their independence and ability to make appropriate judgments in overseeing managers’ pay and performance.  At the market level, it may incorporate a variety of generally accepted best practices.
 
Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation—Management Proposals (Management Say-on- Pay)
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation.
 
Vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-Pay—MSOP) if:
 
  There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance ( pay for performance );
  The company maintains significant problematic pay practices ;
  The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
 
Vote against or withhold from the members of the Compensation Committee and potentially the full board if:
 
 
› There is no MSOP on the ballot, and an against vote on an MSOP is warranted due to pay for performance misalignment, problematic pay practices, or the lack of adequate responsiveness on compensation issues raised previously, or a combination thereof;
 
› The board fails to respond adequately to a previous MSOP proposal that received less than 70 percent support of votes cast;
 
› The company has recently practiced or approved problematic pay practices, including option repricing or option backdating; or
               ›   The situation is egregious.
 
Primary Evaluation Factors for Executive Pay
Pay-for-Performance Evaluation

ISS annually conducts a pay-for-performance analysis to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period.  With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices 6 , this analysis considers the following:
 
 1. Peer Group 7 Alignment:
 
 
› The degree of alignment between the company's annualized TSR rank and the CEO's annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period.
  The multiple of the CEO's total pay relative to the peer group median.
 
 
 
A - 10

 
 
 
2. Absolute Alignment 8 – the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years – i.e. , the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period.
 
If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, our analysis may include any of the following qualitative factors, as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
 
  The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards;
  The overall ratio of performance-based compensation;
  The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals;
  The company's peer group benchmarking practices;
 
› Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers;
 
› Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g., bi-annual awards);
  Realizable pay 9 compared to grant pay; and
  Any other factors deemed relevant.
 
Problematic Pay Practices

The focus is on executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles, including:

  Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements;
  Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and
----------------------
6 The Russell 3000E Index includes approximately 4,000 of the largest U.S. equity securities.
 
7 The revised peer group is generally comprised of 14-24 companies that are selected using market cap, revenue (or assets for certain financial firms), GICS industry group, and company's selected peers' GICS industry group, with size constraints, via a process designed to select peers that are comparable to the subject company in terms of revenue/assets and industry, and also within a market cap bucket that is reflective of the company's.  For Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels companies, market cap is the only size determinant.
 
8 Only Russell 3000 Index companies are subject to the Absolute Alignment analysis.
 
9 ISS research reports include realizable pay for S&P1500 companies.
 
  Options Backdating.
 
Problematic Pay Practices related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements

Pay elements that are not directly based on performance are generally evaluated case-by-case considering the context of a company's overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy.  Please refer to ISS' Compensation FAQ document for detail on specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices.  The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in this overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:

 
› Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options);
  Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting;
  New or extended agreements that provide for:
  CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus;
 
 
 
A - 11

 
 
 
 
› CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties ("single" or "modified single" triggers);
  CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including "modified" gross-ups).
 
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking

  Multi-year guaranteed bonuses;
  A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans;
  Lucrative severance packages;
  High pay opportunities relative to industry peers;
  Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or
  Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk.

Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
 
Options Backdating

The following factors should be examined case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between “sloppy” plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:

  Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes;
  Duration of options backdating;
  Size of restatement due to options backdating;
 
› Corrective actions taken by the board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and
 
› Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future.
 
Compensation Committee Communications and Responsiveness

Consider the following factors case-by-case when evaluating ballot items related to executive pay on the board’s responsiveness to investor input and engagement on compensation issues:
 
  Failure to respond to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics; or
 
› Failure to adequately respond to the company's previous say-on-pay proposal that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast, taking into account:
  The company's response, including:
 
› Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors regarding the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
  Specific actions taken to address the issues that contributed to the low level of support;
  Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
  Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
  The company's ownership structure; and
 
› Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
 
Equity-Based and Other Incentive Plans
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on certain equity-based compensation plans 10 depending on a combination of certain plan features and equity grant practices, where positive factors
 
 
A - 12

 

may counterbalance negative factors, and vice versa, as evaluated using an "equity plan scorecard" (EPSC) approach with three pillars:
 
 
Plan Cost: The total estimated cost of the company’s equity plans relative to industry/market cap peers, measured by the company's estimated Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) in relation to peers and considering both:
 
› SVT based on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants, plus outstanding unvested/unexercised grants; and
  SVT based only on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants.
 
 
  Plan Features:
  Automatic single-triggered award vesting upon a change in control (CIC);
  Discretionary vesting authority;
  Liberal share recycling on various award types;
  Lack of minimum vesting period for grants made under the plan.
 
 
  Grant Practices:
 
  The company’s three year burn rate relative to its industry/market cap peers;
  Vesting requirements in most recent CEO equity grants (3-year look-back);
 
›The estimated duration of the plan (based on the sum of shares remaining available and the new shares requested, divided by the average annual shares granted in the prior three years);
  The proportion of the CEO's most recent equity grants/awards subject to performance conditions;
  Whether the company maintains a claw-back policy;
  Whether the company has established post exercise/vesting share-holding requirements.

Generally vote against the plan proposal if the combination of above factors indicates that the plan is not, overall, in shareholders' interests, or if any of the following egregious factors apply:
 
----------------------
10 Proposals evaluated under the EPSC policy generally include those to approve or amend (1) stock option plans for employees and/or employees and directors, (2) restricted stock plans for employees and/or employees and directors, and (3) omnibus stock incentive plans for employees and/or employees and directors.
 
  Awards may vest in connection with a liberal change-of-control definition;
 
› The plan would permit repricing or cash buyout of underwater options without shareholder approval (either by expressly permitting it – for NYSE and Nasdaq listed companies -- or by not prohibiting it when the company has a history of repricing – for non-listed companies);
 
› The plan is a vehicle for problematic pay practices or a significant pay-for-performance disconnect under certain circumstances; or
  Any other plan features are determined to have a significant negative impact on shareholder interests.
 
 
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
 
Global Approach

Issues covered under the policy include a wide range of topics, including consumer and product safety, environment and energy, labor standards and human rights, workplace and board diversity, and corporate political issues.  While a variety of factors goes into each analysis, the overall principle guiding all vote recommendations focuses on how the proposal may enhance or protect shareholder value in either the short or long term.
 
 
 
 
A - 13

 
 
 
General Recommendation: Generally vote case-by-case, taking into consideration whether implementation of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value, and in addition the following will also be considered:
 

 
› If the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation;
 
› If the company has already responded in an appropriate and sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal;
  Whether the proposal's request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeframe) or overly prescriptive;
 
› The company's approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal;
 
› If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not reasonable and sufficient information is currently available to shareholders from the company or from other publicly available sources; and
 
› If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not implementation would reveal proprietary or confidential information that could place the company at a competitive disadvantage.
 
Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
 
General Recommendation: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the impact of climate change on its operations and investments, considering:
 
 
› Whether the company already provides current, publicly-available information on the impacts that climate change may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to address related risks and/or opportunities;
  The company’s level of disclosure is at least comparable to that of industry peers; and
 
› There are no significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.

Generally vote for proposals requesting a report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from company operations and/or products and operations, unless:
 
  The company already discloses current, publicly-available information on the impacts that GHG   emissions may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to   address related risks and/or opportunities;
  The company's level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and
  There are no significant, controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's GHG   emissions.
 
Vote case-by-case on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
 
  Whether the company provides disclosure of year-over-year GHG emissions performance data;
  Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;
  The company's actual GHG emissions performance;
  The company's current GHG emission policies, oversight mechanisms, and related initiatives; and
  Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or   controversy related to GHG emissions.
 
 
 
A - 14

 
 
 
 
 
 
Political Activities
 
Lobbying
 
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on proposals requesting information on a company’s lobbying (including direct, indirect, and grassroots lobbying) activities, policies, or procedures, considering:

  The company’s current disclosure of relevant lobbying policies, and management and board oversight;
 
› The company’s disclosure regarding trade associations or other groups that it supports, or is a member of, that engage in lobbying activities; and
  Recent significant controversies, fines, or litigation regarding the company’s lobbying-related activities.
 
Political Contributions
 
General Recommendation: Generally vote for proposals requesting greater disclosure of a company's political contributions and trade association spending policies and activities, considering:
 
 
› The company's policies, and management and board oversight related to its direct political contributions and payments to trade associations or other groups that may be used for political purposes;
 
› The company's disclosure regarding its support of, and participation in, trade associations or other groups that may make political contributions; and
 
› Recent significant controversies, fines, or litigation related to the company's political contributions or political activities.
 
Vote against proposals barring a company from making political contributions.  Businesses are affected by legislation at the federal, state, and local level; barring political contributions can put the company at a competitive disadvantage.
 
Vote against proposals to publish in newspapers and other media a company's political contributions.  Such publications could present significant cost to the company without providing commensurate value to shareholders.
 
Political Ties
 
General Recommendation: Generally vote against proposals asking a company to affirm political nonpartisanship in the workplace, so long as:
 
 
› There are no recent, significant controversies, fines, or litigation regarding the company’s political contributions or trade association spending; and
 
› The company has procedures in place to ensure that employee contributions to company-sponsored political action committees (PACs) are strictly voluntary and prohibit coercion.
 
Vote against proposals asking for a list of company executives, directors, consultants, legal counsels, lobbyists, or investment bankers that have prior government service and whether such service had a bearing on the business of the company.  Such a list would be burdensome to prepare without providing any meaningful information to shareholders.

This document and all of the information contained in it, including without limitation all text, data, graphs, and charts (collectively, the "Information") is the property of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), its subsidiaries, or, in some cases third party suppliers.

The Information has not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body.  None of the Information constitutes an offer to sell (or a solicitation of an offer to buy), or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial product or
 
 
 
A - 15

 
 
 
other investment vehicle or any trading strategy, and ISS does not endorse, approve, or otherwise express any opinion regarding any issuer, securities, financial products or instruments or trading strategies.

The user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information.
 
ISS MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, COMPLETENESS, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS for A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF THE INFORMATION.
 
Without limiting any of the foregoing and to the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall ISS have any liability regarding any of the Information for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential (including lost profits), or any other damages even if notified of the possibility of such damages.  The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited.
 

 

The Global Leader In Corporate Governance
 
 
 
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Elkhorn ETF Trust
Part C – Other Information
 
Item  28.
 
Exhibits
 
Exhibit No.Description
 
       
       
 
(a)
(1)
Declaration of Trust of the Registrant (1)
       
   
(2)
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Establishment and Designation of Series (2)
       
 
(b)
By-Laws of the Registrant (2)
       
 
(c)
Not applicable
       
 
(d)
Form of Investment Management Agreement between Registrant and Elkhorn Investments, LLC (2)
       
  (e)
Form of Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. (2)
       
 
(f)
Not Applicable
       
 
(g)
Form of Custodian Agreement (2)
       
 
(h)
(1)
Form of Subscription Agreement (2)
       
   
(2)
Form of Administrative Agency Agreement (2)
       
   
(3)
Form of Participant Agreement (2)
       
 
(i)
(1)
Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, dated April 28, 2015 (2)
       
   
(2)
Opinion and Consent of Chapman and Cutler LLP, dated April 28, 2015 (2)
       
 
(j)
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (2)
       
 
(k)
Not Applicable
       
 
(l)
Not Applicable
       
 
(m)
Form of 12b-1 Service Plan (2)
       
 
(n)
Not Applicable
 
 
 
-2-

 
 
 
 
(o)
Not Applicable
       
 
(p)
(1)
Elkhorn Investments, LLC and Elkhorn Funds Code of Ethics (2)
       
   
(2)
ALPS Distributors, Inc. Code of Ethics (2)
       
 
(q)
Powers of Attorney (2)
__________________
 
(1)
Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-201473) filed on January 13, 2015.
 
(2)
Filed herewith.
 
Item  29.
 
Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant
 
Not Applicable
 
Item  30.
 
Indemnification
 
Section 9.5 of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust provides as follows:
 
Section 9.5.  Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses.  Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a "Covered Person" ), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.
 
No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.
 
The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.  
 
Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.
 
 
 
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To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.  
 
As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and "expenses" shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.
 
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant, in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such  director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
 
Item  31.
 
Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
 
Elkhorn Investments, LLC (“Elkhorn”), investment adviser to the Registrant, serves as adviser to open-end investment companies and is the portfolio supervisor of certain unit investment trusts.  The principal business of certain of Elkhorn’s principal executive officers involves various activities in connection with Elkhorn’s advisory services and the unit investment trusts sponsored by Elkhorn Securities, LLC (“Elkhorn Securities”).  The principal address for all these investment companies, Elkhorn and Elkhorn Securities is 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.
 
A description of any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which the officers of Elkhorn have engaged during the last two years for his or her account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee appears under “Management of the Fund” in the Statement of Additional Information.
 
Item  32.
 
Principal Underwriter
 
  (a)     ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: 1290 Funds, 13D Activist Fund, ALPS Series Trust,
 
 
-4-

 
 

Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, Babson Capital Funds Trust, BBH Trust, BLDRS Index Funds Trust, Broadview Funds Trust, Brown Management Funds, Caldwell & Orkin Funds, Inc., Campbell Multi-Strategy Trust, Centaur Mutual Funds Trust, Centre Funds, Century Capital Management Trust, Columbia ETF Trust, CornerCap Group of Funds, Cortina Funds, Inc., CRM Mutual Fund Trust, CSOP ETF Trust, Cullen Funds, DBX ETF TRUST, db-X Exchange-Traded Funds Inc., Centre Funds, ETFS Trust, EGA Emerging Global Shares Trust, EGA Frontier Diversified Core Fund, Financial Investors Trust, Firsthand Funds, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund, Heartland Group, Inc., Henssler Funds, Inc.,  Holland Balanced Fund, IndexIQ Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, ISI Strategy Fund, James Advantage Funds, Lattice Strategies Trust, Laudus Trust, Laudus Institutional Trust, Litman Gregory Funds Trust, Longleaf Partners Funds Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Managed Municipal Fund, North American Government Bond Fund, Oak Associates Funds, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust III, PowerShares QQQ 100 Trust Series 1, Reality Shares ETF Trust, Resource Real Estate Diversified Income Fund, RiverNorth Funds, Russell Exchange Traded Funds Trust, SCS Hedged Opportunities Master Fund, SCS Hedged Opportunities Fund, SCS Hedged Opportunities (TE) Fund, Smead Funds Trust, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Stadion Investment Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Total Return US Treasury Fund, Transparent Value Trust, USCF ETF Trust, Wakefield Alternative Series Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Westcore Trust, Whitebox Mutual Funds, Williams Capital Liquid Assets Fund, and Wilmington Funds.
 
              (b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:
 
Name*
Position with Underwriter
Positions with Fund ***
Edmund J. Burke
Director
None
Jeremy O. May
President, Director
None
Thomas A. Carter
Executive Vice President, Director
None
Bradley J. Swenson
Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer
None
Robert J. Szydlowski
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
None
Aisha J. Hunt
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
None
Eric T. Parsons
Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer
None
Randall D. Young**
Secretary
None
Gregg Wm. Givens**
Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
None
Douglas W. Fleming**
Assistant Treasurer
None
 
 
 
-5-

 
 
 
Name*
Position with Underwriter
Positions with Fund ***
Steven Price
Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer
None
Liza Orr
Vice President, Attorney
None
Taylor Ames
Vice President, PowerShares
None
Troy A. Duran
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
None
James Stegall
Vice President
None
Gary Ross
Senior Vice President
None
Kevin Ireland
Senior Vice President
None
Mark Kiniry
Senior Vice President
None
Tison Cory
Vice President, Intermediary Operations
None
Hilary Quinn
Vice President
None
Jennifer Craig
Assistant Vice President
None
 
________________________
*
Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
**
The principal business address for Messrs. Young, Givens and Fleming is 333 W. 11th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.
***
None of the directors or executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc. are employed by the Fund.
 
   (c)      Not Applicable
 
Item  33.
 
Location of Accounts and Records
 
Elkhorn, 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, maintains the Registrant’s organizational documents, minutes of meetings, contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser.
 
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation ( “BONY” ) maintains all general and subsidiary ledgers, journals, trial balances, records of all portfolio purchases and sales, and all other requirement records not maintained by Elkhorn.
 
BONY also maintains all the required records in its capacity as transfer, accounting, dividend payment and interest holder service agent for the Registrant.
 
Item  34.
  Management Servic es
 
Not Applicable
 
Item  35.
 
Undertakings
 
Not Applicable
 
 
 
-6-

 
 
 
Signatures
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized in the City of Wheaton, and State of Illinois, on the 28th day of April, 2015.
 
 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
 
  By:  /s/ Benjamin T. Fulton
    Benjamin T. Fulton, Trustee
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:

Signature
Title
Date
/s/ Benjamin T. Fulton
President and Chief Executive Officer
April 28, 2015
     Benjamin T. Fulton
   
     
/s/ Philip L. Ziesemer
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary  
     Philip L. Ziesemer
   
     
Bruce Howard*
)
Trustee )
 
 
)
By:        
Gregory D. Bunch*
)
Trustee )
Benjamin T. Fulton
Attorney-In-Fact
 
)
April 28, 2015
Jeffrey P. Helton*
)
Trustee )
 
 
)
 

* An original power of attorney authorizing Graham Day, Benjamin T. Fulton and Philip L. Ziesemer to execute this registration statement, and amendments thereto, for each of the trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this registration statement is filed, are filed herewith.
 
 
 
-7-

 
 
 
 
Exhibit  
Number   Exhibit
 
(a)(2)
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Establishment and Designation of Series

(b)
By-Laws of the Registrant

(d)
Form of Investment Management Agreement between Registrant and Elkhorn Investments, LLC.

(e)
Form of Distribution Agreement by and between Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc.

(g)
Form of Custodian Agreement

(h)(1)
Form of Subscription Agreement

(h)(2)
Form of Administrative Agency Agreement

(h)(3)
Form of Participant Agreement

(i)(1)
Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, dated April 28, 2015 (2)

(i)(2)
Opinion and Consent of Chapman and Cutler LLP, dated April 28, 2015 (2)

(m)
Form of 12b-1 Service Plan

(p)(1)
Elkhorn Investments, LLC and Elkhorn Funds Code of Ethics

(p)(2)
ALPS Distributors, Inc. Code of Ethics

(q)
Powers of Attorney
 
 
-8-
 
 
 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
ELKHORN ETF TRUST

(a Massachusetts Business Trust)

Dated as of April 7, 2015

 
 
 

 

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLE I – Name and Definitions
 
 
Section 1
Name
1
 
Section 2
Definitions
1
       
ARTICLE II – Nature and Purpose of Trust
3
       
ARTICLE III – Registered Agent; Principal Place of Business
3
       
ARTICLE IV – Beneficial Interests; Shareholders
 
 
Section 4.1
Shares of Beneficial Interest
4
 
Section 4.2
Issuance of Shares
4
 
Section 4.3
Rights of Shareholders
4
 
Section 4.4
Ownership and Transfer of Shares; Small Accounts
5
 
Section 4.5
Voting by Shareholders
6
 
Section 4.6
Meetings
6
 
Section 4.7
Quorum and Action
6
 
Section 4.8
Action by Written Consent in Lieu of Meeting of Shareholders
7
 
Section 4.9
Series and Classes of Shares
7
 
Section 4.10
Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings
10
 
Section 4.11
Access to Trust Records
10
 
Section 4.12
Communications with Shareholders
10
       
ARTICLE V – The Trustees
 
 
Section 5.1
Management of the Trust
10
 
Section 5.2
Qualification and Number
10
 
Section 5.3
Term and Election
11
 
Section 5.4
Resignation, Retirement and Removal
11
 
Section 5.5
Vacancies
11
 
Section 5.6
Ownership of Assets of the Trust
11
       
ARTICLE VI – Powers of Trustees
 
 
Section 6.1
General Powers
12
 
Section 6.2
Certain Specific Powers
12
 
Section 6.3
Issuance and Repurchase of Shares
15
 
Section 6.4
Delegation; Committees
15
 
Section 6.5
Collection and Payment
16
 
Section 6.6
Expenses
16
 
Section 6.7
Manner of Acting
16
 
Section 6.8
By-laws
16
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
2
 
 
Section 6.9
Principal Transactions
16
 
Section 6.10
Effect of Trustees’ Determination
16
       
ARTICLE VII – Service Providers
 
 
Section 7.1
Investment Adviser and Administrators
17
 
Section 7.2
Underwriting; Transfer Agent; Shareholder Servicing Agent; Custodian
17
 
Section 7.3
Parties to Contract
17
 
Section 7.4
Further Authority of Trustees
17
       
ARTICLE VIII – Distributions; Redemptions; Determination of Net Asset Value
 
 
Section 8.1
Distributions
18
 
Section 8.2
Redemption of Shares
18
 
Section 8.3
Redemption Price
18
 
Section 8.4
Payment
19
 
Section 8.5
Redemption of Shareholder's Interest by Action of Trust
19
 
Section 8.6
Suspension of Right of Redemption
20
 
Section 8.7
Determination of Net Asset Value; Valuation of Portfolio      Assets
20
 
Section 8.8
Reserves
20
 
Section 8.9
Determination by Trustees
20
       
ARTICLE IX – Limitation of Liability and Indemnification
 
 
Section 9.1
No Personal Liability of and Indemnification of Shareholders
21
 
Section 9.2
Limitation of Liability of Trustees and Others
21
 
Section 9.3
Experts; No Bond or Surety
22
 
Section 9.4
Liability of Third Persons Dealing with the Trust or Trustees
22
 
Section 9.5
Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses
23
 
Section 9.6
Further Indemnification
24
 
Section 9.7
Amendments and Modifications
24
 
Section 9.8
Derivative Actions
24
       
ARTICLE X – Termination; Mergers and Sale of Assets
 
 
Section 10.1
Termination of Trust or Series
27
 
Section 10.2
Sale of Assets; Mergers; Reorganization
28
 
Section 10.3
Combination of Classes
28
       
ARTICLE XI – Amendments; Filings; Miscellaneous
 
 
Section 11.1
Amendments to Declaration
29
 
Section 11.2
Filings; Copies of Declaration; Counterparts; Headings
29
 
Section 11.3
Trustees May Resolve Ambiguities
29
 
Section 11.4
Applicable Law; Forum Selection; Jury Waiver;
30
 
Section 11.5
Provisions in conflict with Law or Regulations
30
 
Section 11.6
Writings
31
 
 
 
 

 
 

AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
ELKHORN ETF TRUST

WHEREAS, the Trust was formed under the name Elkhorn ETF Fund by a DECLARATION OF TRUST dated as of the 17th day of December, 2013, by the initial Trustee then in office (the “Initial Declaration”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 8 of the Initial Declaration, by action of the initial Trustee, the Initial Declaration is amended and restated as of this 7th day of April, 2015, in its entirety;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Trustee(s) and any successor Trustees elected or appointed in accordance with Article V hereof hereby declare that they will hold all cash, securities and other assets and properties, which the Trust may from time to time acquire in any manner, IN TRUST, and that they will manage and dispose of the same and manage the affairs and business of the Trust upon the following terms and conditions for the benefit of the holders from time to time of shares of beneficial interest in this Trust as hereinafter set forth.

.


ARTICLE I

NAME AND DEFINITIONS

Section 1.  Name .   This Trust shall be known as “Elkhorn ETF Trust” and the Trustees shall conduct the business of the Trust under that name or any other name as they may from time to time determine.

Section 2.  Definitions .   Whenever used herein, unless otherwise required by the context or specifically provided, the following terms have the following respective meanings:

(a) “By-laws” means the By-laws of the Trust referred to in Section 6.8 hereof, as from time to time amended.

(b) “Class” means the one or more Shares (as defined below) of a Series (as defined below) of the Trust as may be established and designated as a Class from time to time by the Trustees pursuant to Section 4.9 hereof.

(c) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any successor statute), as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as adopted or amended from time to time.
 
 
 
 

 

 
(d) “Commission” shall have the same meaning given to such term in the 1940 Act (as defined below).

(e) “Declaration” means this Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust as further amended, supplemented or amended and restated from time to time.  Reference in this Declaration of Trust to “Declaration,” “hereof,” “herein,” and “hereunder” shall be deemed to refer to this Declaration rather than exclusively to the article or section in which such words appear.

(f) “He,” “Him” and “His” shall include the feminine and neuter, as well as the masculine, genders.

(g) “Interested Person” shall have the same meaning given to such term in the 1940 Act (as defined below).

 (h) “1940 Act”   refers to the Investment Company Act of 1940 (and any successor statute) and the rules thereunder, all as amended from time to time, as may apply to the Trust or a Series (as defined below) or a Class thereof, including pursuant to any exemptive, interpretive or other relief or guidance issued by the Commission or the staff of the Commission under such Act.

(i) “Outstanding Shares” means those Shares (as defined below) shown from time to time on the books of the Trust or its transfer agent as then issued and outstanding, but shall not include Shares which have been redeemed, repurchased, cancelled or terminated by the Trust.

(j) “Person” means and includes natural persons, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, business trusts, limited liability partnerships, statutory trusts, limited liability companies, trusts, associations, joint ventures, estates, nominees and any other entity in its own or any representative capacity, whether or not legal entities, and governments and agencies and political subdivisions thereof, in each case whether domestic or foreign.

(k) “Prospectus” means the prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to the Trust or one or more Series (as defined below) or Classes thereof as the context shall require, as contained in the most recent effective registration statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Trust or one or more such Series or Classes thereof, as the same may be supplemented or modified from time to time in accordance with the requirements of the federal securities laws.

(l) “Series” individually or collectively means each Series of Shares as may be established and designated from time to time by the Trustees pursuant to Section 4.9 hereof.

(m) “Shareholder” means a record owner of Outstanding Shares.
 
 
 
 

 

 
(n) “Shares” means the units of interest into which the beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided from time to time, including the Shares of any and all Series and Classes which may be established and designated by the Trustees, and includes fractions of Shares as well as whole Shares.

 (o) “Trust” refers to the voluntary association with transferable shares established by this Declaration, as the same may be amended from time to time.

(p) “Trust Property” means any and all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, which is owned or held by or for the account of the Trust or any Series.

(q) “Trustees” means, at any time, the person or persons who have signed this Declaration and all other persons who may from time to time be duly qualified and serving as Trustees in accordance with the provisions of Article V hereof, in each case if they shall at that time continue in office in accordance with the terms hereof, and reference herein to a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such person or persons in his capacity or their capacities as Trustees hereunder.

ARTICLE II

NATURE AND PURPOSE OF TRUST


The Trust set forth in this instrument shall be deemed made in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and it is created under and is to be governed by and construed and administered according to the laws of said Commonwealth as a voluntary association with transferable shares (commonly known as a business trust) of the type referred to in Chapter 182 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  The Trust is not intended to be, shall not be deemed to be, and shall not be treated as, a general or a limited partnership, joint venture, corporation or joint stock company, nor shall the Trustees or Shareholders or any of them for any purpose be deemed to be, or be treated in any way whatsoever as though they were, liable or responsible hereunder as partners or joint venturers.  The purpose of the Trust is to engage in, operate and carry on the business of an open-end management investment company through one or more Series, and to do any and all acts or things as are necessary, convenient, appropriate, incidental or customary in connection therewith and without limiting the foregoing or the other provisions hereof, the Trust may exercise all powers which are ordinarily exercised by a Massachusetts business trust.

ARTICLE III

REGISTERED AGENT; PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS

The name of the registered agent of the Trust is National Corporate Research, Ltd.  at its office at 10 Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108.  The principal place of
 
 
 

 
 

business of the Trust is 207 South Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.  The Trustees may, from time to time, change the registered agent of the Trust and the principal place of business of the Trust.

ARTICLE IV

BENEFICIAL INTERESTS; SHAREHOLDERS

Section 4.1.    Shares of Beneficial Interest .      The beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided into such Shares of beneficial interest, of such Series or Classes, and of such designations and par values (if any) and with such rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and such other relative terms as shall be determined by the Trustees from time to time.  The number of Shares is unlimited.  The Trustees shall have full power and authority to take such action with respect to the Shares as the Trustees may deem desirable.

Section 4.2.  Issuance of Shares.   (a)    Shares may be issued from time to time to such Persons (including, without limitation, any Trustee, officer, or agent of the Trust or any Person in which a Trustee, officer or agent of the Trust has an interest) either for cash or for such other consideration (which may be in any one or more instances a certain specified consideration or certain specified considerations) and on such terms as the Trustees, from time to time, may deem advisable, and the Trust may, in connection with an issuance of Shares, acquire other assets (including the acquisition of assets subject to, and in connection with, the assumption of liabilities), and all Shares so issued hereunder, including without limitation Shares issued in connection with a dividend in Shares or a split or reverse split of Shares, shall be fully paid and nonassessable.  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Trustees may in their sole discretion determine to issue Shares of any Series or Class only in lots of such aggregate number of Shares as shall be determined by the Trustees, to be called creation units or such other term as the Trustees shall determine (as so defined, “Creation Units”), and in connection with the issuance of such Creation Units, to charge such transaction or creation fees or other fees as the Trustees shall determine, provided however that the Trustees may from time to time, in their sole discretion determine to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Units.  The Trust shall have the right to refuse to issue Shares to any Person at any time and without any reason therefor whatsoever.

(b)    The Trust may issue Shares in fractional denominations to the same extent as its whole Shares, and Shares in fractional denominations shall be Shares having proportionately to the respective fractions represented thereby all the rights of whole Shares, including, without limitation, the right to vote, the right to receive dividends and distributions and the right to participate upon termination of the Trust.

(c)    Any Shares issued by the Trust which have been purchased, redeemed or otherwise reacquired by the Trust shall be retired automatically and shall have the status of unissued Shares.
 
 
 
 

 

 
                Section 4.3 Rights of Shareholders .  The ownership of the Trust Property of every description and the right to conduct any business herein described is vested exclusively in the Trustees.  The Shareholders shall have no right or title in or to the Trust Property or to call for any partition or division of any property, profits, rights or interests of the Trust or any Series thereof and the Shareholders shall have no interest therein other than the beneficial interest conferred by their Shares.  The death, incapacity, dissolution, termination, or bankruptcy of a Shareholder during the continuance of the Trust shall neither operate to terminate the Trust or any Series thereof nor entitle the representative of any such Shareholder to an accounting or to take any action in court or elsewhere against the Trust, any Series thereof or the Trustees, but shall entitle such representative only to the rights of said Shareholder under this Declaration.  Neither the Trust nor the Trustees, nor any officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall have any power to bind personally any Shareholder, or to call upon any Shareholder for the payment of any sum of money or assessment whatsoever other than such as the Shareholder may at any time personally agree to pay, provided however that any sales loads or charges, creation or redemption fees, account fees or any other fees or charges not prohibited as charges to Shareholders under applicable law shall not be deemed to be an assessment for the purposes of this Declaration.  The Shares shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth in this Declaration.  The holders of Shares shall not, as such holders, have any appraisal rights with respect to their Shares, and, except as the Trustees may determine from time to time, shall have no right to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any Shares or securities of the Trust that it may hereafter issue or sell, or have any preference, preemptive, conversion or exchange rights.  Every Shareholder, by virtue of purchasing Shares and becoming a Shareholder, shall be held to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of this Declaration and shall be bound thereby.

Section 4.4.  Ownership and Transfer of Shares; Small Accounts .   (a)    The ownership and transfer of Shares shall be recorded on the books of the Trust or, if there is a transfer or similar agent with respect to such Shares, on the books and records of such transfer or similar agent with respect to such Shares, which records shall be maintained separately for the Shares of each Series or Class of the Trust.  No certificates representing the ownership of Shares shall be issued except as the Trustees may otherwise determine from time to time.  The Trustees may make such rules or impose such restrictions as they consider necessary or appropriate for the issuance of Share certificates, transfer of Shares and similar matters.  The record books of the Trust, as kept by the Trust or any transfer or similar agent of the Trust, shall be conclusive as to who are the holders of Shares and as to the number of Shares held from time to time by each Shareholder.  No Shareholder shall be entitled to receive any payment of a dividend or distribution, or to have notice given to him as provided herein or in the By-laws, until he has provided such information as shall be required to the Trust or, as applicable, the Trust’s transfer or similar agent with respect to his Shares.

(b)    In the event any certificates representing Outstanding Shares are at any time outstanding, the Trustees may at any time or from time to time determine that Shares shall no longer be represented by certificates, and in connection therewith, upon written notice to any Shareholder holding certificates representing Outstanding Shares, such
 
 
 

 
 

certificates shall be cancelled, provided that such cancellation shall not affect the ownership by such Shareholder of such Shares, and following such cancellation, ownership and transfer of such Shares shall be recorded by book entry on the books of the Trust or its transfer or similar agent.

(c)    The Trustees may establish, from time to time, one or more minimum investment amounts for Shareholder accounts, which may differ within and among any Series or Classes, and may impose account fees on (which may be satisfied by involuntarily redeeming the requisite number of Shares in any such account in the amount of such fee), and/or require the involuntary redemption of Shares held in, those accounts the net asset value of which for any reason falls below such established minimum investment amounts, or may authorize the Trust to convert any such Shares in such account to Shares of another Class or Series, or take any other such action with respect to minimum investment amounts as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the Trustees, in each case upon such terms as shall be established by the Trustees.

Section 4.5.  Voting by Shareholders.     (a)    Shareholders shall not have the power to vote on any matter except: (i) for the election or removal of Trustees to the extent and as provided in Article V hereof, and (ii) with respect to such additional matters relating to the Trust as may be required by law or as the Trustees may consider and determine necessary or desirable.

(b)    Each whole Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote as to any matter on which the holder in entitled to vote, and each fractional Share shall be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote.  There shall be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees or on any other matter submitted to a vote of the Shareholders.  Shares may be voted in person or by proxy.  Until Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class are issued, the Trustees may exercise all rights of Shareholders of the Trust or such Series or Class and may take any action required or permitted by law, this Declaration or the By-laws of the Trust to be taken by Shareholders of the Trust, such Series or Class.

Only Shareholders who are owners of record on the books of the Trust on the applicable record date will be entitled to vote on a matter.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Trust shall be entitled to rely on any vote cast by a Shareholder, and without any further or independent investigation, shall deem any vote cast by a Shareholder that holds of record Shares on behalf of one or more beneficial owners of Shares to have been taken in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations governing the relationship between the Shareholder and its beneficial owners and/or any contractual provision or other arrangement with any beneficial owner of Shares holding through such Shareholder.

(c)    On any matter submitted to a vote of the Shareholders of the Trust, all Shares of all Series and Classes then entitled to vote shall be voted together, except that (i) when required by the 1940 Act to be voted by individual Series or Class, Shares shall be voted by individual Series or Class, and (ii) when the Trustees have determined that the matter affects only the interests of Shareholders of one or more Series or Classes, only Shareholders of such one or more Series or Classes shall be entitled to vote thereon.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Section 4.6.  Meetings .      Meetings of the Shareholders of the Trust or any one or more Series or Classes thereof may be called and held from time to time for the purpose of taking action upon any matter requiring the vote or authority of the Shareholders as herein provided or upon any other matter deemed by the Trustees to be necessary or desirable.  The Trustees may set in the By-laws, or may otherwise establish, provisions relating to the calling and holding of meetings (including the holding of meetings by electronic or other similar means), notice of meetings, record dates, place of meetings, conduct of meetings, voting by proxy, postponement, adjournment or cancellation of meetings and related matters.

Section 4.7.  Quorum and Action .      (a)    The Trustees shall set forth in the By-laws the quorum required for the transaction of business by the Shareholders at a meeting, which quorum shall in no event be less than the holders of thirty percent (30%) of the Shares entitled to vote at such meeting.  If a quorum is present when a duly called and held meeting is convened, the Trust may continue to transact business until adjournment, even though the withdrawal of a number of Shareholders originally present leaves less than the proportion or number otherwise required for a quorum.

(b)    The Shareholders shall take action by the affirmative vote of the holders of Shares representing a majority, except in the case of the election of Trustees which shall only require a plurality, of votes cast at a meeting of Shareholders at which a quorum is present, except as may be otherwise required by applicable law or any provision of this Declaration or the By-laws.

Section 4.8.  Action by Written Consent in Lieu of Meeting of Shareholders.   Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Shareholders may be taken, if so directed by the Trustees, without a meeting by written action executed by Shareholders, as of a record date specified by the Trustees in accordance with the By-laws, holding not less than the minimum number of Shares that would have been necessary to take the action at a meeting, assuming that all of the Shareholders entitled to vote on that action were present and voting at that meeting.  The written action shall be effective when it has been executed by the requisite number of Shareholders and delivered to the Secretary of the Trust, unless a different effective time is provided in the written action.  Such consent may be executed and delivered by electronic means in accordance with any procedures that may be adopted by the Trustees from time to time.

Section 4.9.  Series and Classes of Shares.

(a)  Series.    The initial Trustee has heretofore established the Series listed on Schedule A hereto and the Trustees may from time to time authorize the division of Shares into additional Series.  The relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of any Series shall be established and designated by the Trustees, and may be modified by the Trustees from time to time, upon and subject to the following provisions:
 
 
 
 

 

 
(i)    Subject to variations between Classes of Shares of a Series, all Shares shall be identical except that there may be such variations as shall be fixed and determined by the Trustees from time to time between different Series, including, without limitation, as to qualifications for ownership, minimum purchase amounts, minimum account size, purchase price, fees and expenses, redemptions, creation and redemption fees, conversions and exchanges, and special and relative rights as to dividends and on liquidation, and each Series shall have such business purpose or investment objective as shall be determined by the Trustees.  Each Share of a Series shall represent a beneficial interest in the net assets allocated or belonging to such Series only, and such interest shall not extend to the assets of the Trust generally (except to the extent that General Assets (as defined below) are allocated to such Series).  All references to Shares in this Declaration shall be deemed to include references to Shares of any or all Series as the context may require.

(ii)    The number of authorized Shares of each Series and the number of Shares of each Series that may be issued shall be unlimited.  The Trustees may divide or combine any issued or unissued Shares of any Series into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued Shares into one or more Series; terminate any one or more Series; change the name of a Series; and take such other action with respect to the Series as the Trustees may deem desirable.

(iii)    All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of a particular Series, together with all assets in which such consideration is invested or reinvested, all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be (collectively, the “Assets”), shall irrevocably belong to that Series for all purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors of such Series, and shall be so recorded upon the books of the Trust.  Such Assets, together with any General Assets (as hereinafter defined) allocated to that Series as provided in the following sentence, are herein referred to as “Assets belonging to” that Series.  In the event that there are any assets, income, earnings, profits or proceeds thereof, funds or payments which are not readily identifiable as Assets belonging to any particular Series (collectively, the “General Assets”), the Trustees shall allocate such General Assets to and among any one or more of the Series created from time to time in such manner and on such basis as they deem fair and equitable; and any General Assets allocated to a particular Series shall be Assets belonging to that Series.  Each such allocation by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the Shareholders of all Series for all purposes.  Separate and distinct records shall be maintained for each Series and the Assets belonging to each Series shall be held and accounted for in such separate and distinct records separately from the Assets belonging to all other Series and the General Assets of the Trust not allocated to such Series.
 
 
 
 

 

 
(iv)    The Assets belonging to a particular Series shall be charged with the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Trust in respect of that Series and with all expenses, costs, charges and reserves attributable to that Series (collectively, the “Liabilities”), which Liabilities shall be recorded upon the books of the Trust.  Such Liabilities together with any General Liabilities (as hereinafter defined) allocated to that Series as provided in the following sentence, are herein referred to as “Liabilities belonging to” that Series.  In the event there are any debts, liabilities, obligations, expenses, costs, charges or reserves of the Trust that are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular Series (collectively, the “General Liabilities”), the Trustees shall allocate and charge such General Liabilities to and among any one or more of the Series created from time to time in such manner and on such basis as they deem fair and equitable; and any General Liabilities so allocated to a particular Series shall belong to that Series.  Each such allocation by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon all concerned for all purposes.  Without limiting the foregoing, but subject to the right of the Trustees to allocate General Liabilities as herein provided, the Liabilities belonging to a particular Series shall be enforceable only against the Assets belonging to such Series and not against the assets of the Trust generally or against the Assets belonging to any other Series, and none of the General Liabilities incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to the Trust generally or any Liabilities incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to any other Series shall be enforceable against the Assets belonging to such Series.  Any person extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against any Series may look only to the Assets belonging to that Series to satisfy or enforce any Liability belonging to that Series.  No Shareholder or former Shareholder of any Series, in such capacity, shall have a claim on or any right to any Assets belonging to any other Series.

(b)   Classes .    The Trustees may from time to time authorize the division of Shares of the Trust or any Series thereof into Classes.  The relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a Class shall be established and designated by the Trustees and may be modified by the Trustees from time to time.  All Shares of a Class of a Series shall be identical with each other and with the Shares of each other Class of the same Series except for such variations between Classes as may be authorized by the Trustees from time to time and not prohibited by the 1940 Act, including, without limitation, as to qualifications for ownership, minimum purchase amounts, minimum account size, purchase price, fees and expenses, right of redemption, and the price, terms and manner of redemption, conversion and exchange rights and features and special and relative rights as to dividends and on liquidation.  The number of authorized Shares of each Class and the number of Shares of each Class that may be issued shall be unlimited.  The Trustees may divide or combine the issued or unissued Shares of any Class into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued Shares of any Class into one or more Classes; combine two or more Classes of a Series into a single Class of such Series; terminate any one or more Classes of Shares; change the name or other designation of a Class; and take such other action with respect to the Classes as the Trustees may deem desirable.  To the extent necessary or appropriate
 
 
 

 
 

to give effect to the preferences and special or relative rights and privileges of any Classes, the Trustees may allocate assets, liabilities, income and expenses of a Series to a particular Class of that Series or apportion the same among two or more Classes of that Series.  All references to Shares in this Declaration shall be deemed to include references to Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require.

(c)    Establishment and Designation of Series and Classes    The establishment and designation of any Series or Class of Shares shall be made either by the vote of a majority of the Trustees or upon the execution by a majority of the Trustees of an instrument, in each case setting forth such establishment and designation, the effective date of such establishment and designation and the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of such Series and/or Class, whether directly in such resolution or instrument or by reference to one or more documents or instruments outside this Declaration and outside the resolutions, as the same may be in effect from time to time, including any Prospectus relating to such Series or Class.  Any such instrument executed by a majority of the Trustees, or, with respect to an establishment and designation made by vote of the Trustees, an instrument setting forth such resolutions and certified by either the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Trust (in each case, a “Designation”), shall further be filed in accordance with the provisions of Section 11.2 hereof.  Additions or modifications to a Designation, including, without limitation any termination of an existing Series or Class, shall be made in the same manner as is permitted for the establishment and designation of such Series or Class.

Section 4.10.  Disclosure of Shareholder Holdings .    The holders of Shares or other securities of the Trust shall upon demand disclose to the Trust in writing such information with respect to direct and indirect ownership of Shares or other securities of the Trust as the Trustees deem necessary to comply with the provisions of the Code; to comply with the requirements of any other law or regulation; or as the Trustees may otherwise decide, and ownership of Shares may be disclosed by the Trust if so required by applicable law or as the Trustees may otherwise decide.

Section 4.11.  Access to Trust Records.   Except to the extent otherwise required by law, Shareholders shall only have such right to inspect the records, documents, accounts and books of the Trust as may be granted from time to time by the Trustees.

Section 4.12.  Communications with Shareholders.   Any notices, reports, statements, or communications with Shareholders of any kind required under this Declaration, including any such communications with Shareholders or their counsel or other representatives required under Section 9.8 hereof, or otherwise made by the Trust or its agents on behalf of the Trust shall be governed by the provisions pertaining thereto in the By-laws.

 
 
 

 
 
 
ARTICLE V

THE TRUSTEES

Section 5.1.  Management of the Trust .      The business and affairs of the Trust shall be managed under the direction of the Trustees, and they shall have all powers necessary and desirable to carry out that responsibility, including, without limitation, those powers described more fully in Article VI hereof.

Section 5.2.  Qualification and Number .      Each Trustee shall be a natural person.  A Trustee need not be a citizen of the United States or a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  By consent of the initial Trustee or by majority vote of the Trustees as may then be in office, the Trustees may from time to time establish the number of Trustees.  No decrease in the number of Trustees shall have the effect of removing any Trustee from office prior to the expiration of his term, but the number of Trustees may be decreased in conjunction with the removal of a Trustee pursuant to Section 5.4 hereof.

Section 5.3.  Term and Election .      Except as provided in Section 5.4 below , each Trustee shall hold office until the next meeting of Shareholders called for the purpose of considering the election or re-election of such Trustee or of a successor to such Trustee, and until his successor, if any, is elected, qualified and serving as a Trustee hereunder.  Any Trustee vacancy may be filled by the affirmative vote or consent of a majority of the Trustees then in office, except as prohibited by the 1940 Act, or, if for any reason there are no Trustees then in office, vacancies may be filled by the officers of the Trust elected pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(iii) hereof, or may be filled in any other manner permitted by the 1940 Act.

Section 5.4.  Resignation, Retirement and Removal .    Any Trustee may resign or retire as a Trustee by an instrument in writing signed by him and delivered or mailed to the Chair, if any, the President or the Secretary of the Trust, and such resignation or retirement shall be effective upon such delivery, or at a later date according to the terms of the instrument.  The Trustees may adopt policies from time to time relating to the terms of office and or retirement of the Trustees.  Any Trustee who has who has become incapacitated by illness or injury as determined by a majority of the other Trustees or declared incompetent by a court of appropriate jurisdiction, may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees.  Except as aforesaid, any Trustee may be removed from office with or without cause and only (i) by action of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Outstanding Shares, or (ii) by the action of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the remaining Trustees, specifying the date when such removal shall become effective.  Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement to which the Trust is a party or in a written policy adopted by the Trustees, no resigning, retiring or removed Trustee shall have any right to any compensation for any period following his resignation, retirement or removal, or any right to damages on account of such resignation, retirement or removal.
 
 
 
 

 

 
Section 5.5.  Vacancies.     The death, resignation, retirement, removal, or incapacity of one or more of the Trustees, or all of them, shall not operate to annul the Trust or to revoke any existing agency created pursuant to the terms of this Declaration.  Whenever a vacancy in the number of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled as provided herein, or the number of Trustees as fixed is reduced, the Trustees in office, regardless of their number, shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees, and during the period during which any such vacancy shall occur, only the Trustees then in office shall be counted for the purposes of the existence of a quorum or any action to be taken by such Trustees.

Section 5.6.   Ownership of Assets of the Trust.   The assets of the Trust shall be held separate and apart from any assets now or hereafter held in any capacity other than as Trustee hereunder by the Trustees or any successor Trustees.  All right, title and interest in the assets of the Trust shall at all times be considered as automatically vested in the Trustees as shall be from time to time in office.  Upon the resignation, retirement, removal, incapacity or death of a Trustee, such Trustee shall automatically cease to have any right, title or interest in any of the Trust Property, and the right, title and interest of such Trustee in the Trust Property shall vest automatically in the remaining Trustees.  Such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective without the execution or delivery of any conveyancing or other instruments.  No Shareholder shall be deemed to have a severable ownership in any individual asset of the Trust or any Series thereof or any right of partition or possession thereof.

ARTICLE VI

POWERS OF TRUSTEES

            Section 6.1.  General Powers.   The Trustees shall have exclusive and absolute control over the Trust Property and over the business of the Trust but with full powers of delegation, except as may otherwise be expressly prohibited by this Declaration.  The Trustees shall have the power to direct the business and affairs of the Trust and carry on the Trust's operations and maintain offices both within and outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to do or authorize all such other things and execute or authorize the execution of all such instruments as they deem necessary, proper or desirable in order to promote the interests of the Trust.  With respect to any power or authority of the Trustees hereunder, whether stated or implied, the Trustees shall have all further powers and authority as may be necessary, incidental, relative, conducive, appropriate or desirable for the accomplishment, carrying out or attainment of any action authorized by the Trustees.  In construing the provisions of this Declaration, the presumption shall be in favor of a grant of power to the Trustees.  Without limiting the foregoing, the Trustees shall have power and authority to operate and carry on the business of an investment company and the Trustees shall exercise all the powers as are necessary, convenient, appropriate, incidental or customary in connection therewith and may exercise all powers which are ordinarily exercised by the trustees of a business trust.  The enumeration of any specific power herein shall not be construed as limiting the aforesaid general powers.  Whenever in this Declaration the Trustees are given authority to act on behalf of the Trust or to
 
 
 

 
 

direct, authorize or cause the Trust to take any action, such power and authority shall apply, mutatis mutandis , to any action of the Trust on behalf of any Series or Class.

            Section 6.2.   Certain Specific Powers    (a) Investments .    The Trustees shall not in any way be bound or limited by present or future laws, rules, regulations, or customs in regard to investments by fiduciaries, but shall have full authority and power to authorize the Trust to make, invest and reinvest in, to buy or otherwise acquire, to hold, for investment or otherwise, to borrow, to sell, terminate, exercise or otherwise dispose of, to lend or to pledge, to write, enter into, engage, trade or deal in any and all investments or investment strategies as they may deem proper at any time and from time to time to accomplish the purpose of the Trust.  In furtherance of, and in no way limiting, the foregoing, the Trustees shall have power and authority to authorize the Trust:

(i)    to exercise powers and rights of subscription or otherwise which in any manner arise out of ownership of securities or other assets;

(ii)    to hold any security or property in a form not indicating any trust, whether in bearer, unregistered or other negotiable form or either in the Trust's name or in the name of a custodian or a nominee or nominees;

(iii)    to exercise all rights, powers and privileges of ownership or interest in all securities and other assets included in the Trust Property, including the right to vote thereon and otherwise act with respect thereto and to do all acts for the preservation, protection, improvement and enhancement in value of all such assets;

(iv)    to acquire (by purchase, lease or otherwise) and to hold, use, maintain, develop and dispose of (by sale or otherwise) any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, including cash, securities, currencies, any commodities, and any interest therein;

(v)    to borrow money for any purpose and in this connection issue notes or other evidence of indebtedness;

(vi)    to secure borrowings by mortgaging, pledging or otherwise subjecting as security all or any portion of the Trust Property;

(vii)    to endorse, guarantee, or undertake the performance of any obligation or engagement of any other Person;

(viii)    to lend money or any other Trust Property;

(ix)    to aid by further investment any corporation, company, trust, association or firm, any obligation of or interest in which is included in the Trust Property or in the affairs of which the Trustees have any direct or indirect interest;
 
 
 
 

 

 
(x)    to guarantee or become surety on any or all of the contracts, stocks, bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of any such corporation, company, trust, association or firm;

(xi)    to consent to or participate in any plan for the reorganization, consolidation or merger of any corporation or issuer, any security or property of which is held in the Trust;

(xii)    to consent to any contract, lease, mortgage, purchase, or sale of property by such corporation or issuer;

(xiii)    to pay calls or subscriptions with respect to any security held in the Trust; and

(xiv)    to join with other security holders in acting through a committee, depositary, voting trustee or otherwise, and in that connection to deposit any security with, or transfer any security to, any such committee, depositary or trustee, and to delegate to them such power and authority with relation to any security (whether or not so deposited or transferred) as the Trustees shall deem proper, and to agree to pay, and to pay, such portion of the expenses and compensation of such committee, depositary or trustee as the Trustees shall deem proper.

(b)    Additional Powers .    The Trustees shall have the power and authority on behalf of the Trust:

(i)    to employ, engage or contract with, or make payments to, such Persons as the Trustees may deem desirable for the transaction of the business of the Trust or any Series thereof, including, without limitation, any Trustee or officer of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee or officer is a member , whether as agents or independent contractors of the Trust or any Series thereof, or as delegates of the Trustees, officers, or any other Person who may be involved with the management of the business affairs of the Trust or any Series thereof, to have such titles, and such rights, powers and duties as the Trustees may determine from time to time, and to terminate any such  employment, engagement or contract or other relationship;

(ii)    to authorize the Trust to enter into joint ventures, partnerships and any other combinations or associations;

(iii)    to elect and remove such officers as they consider appropriate;

(iv)    to authorize the Trust to indemnify any Person with whom the Trust has dealings, including, without limitation, any investment adviser or sub-adviser, distributor, administrator or sub-administrator, custodian or sub-custodian,
 
 
 

 
 

transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, selected dealers, other agents and independent contractors to such extent as the Trustees shall determine;

(v)    to authorize the Trust to purchase, and pay for out of Trust Property, (A) insurance policies insuring the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and any other  Persons, including, without limitation, any investment adviser or sub-adviser, distributor, administrator or sub-administrator, custodian or sub-custodian, transfer agent or sub-transfer agent, selected dealers, other agents and independent contractors of the Trust, against any or all claims arising by reason of holding any such position or by reason of any action taken or omitted by any such Person in such capacity whether or not the Trust would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability, (B) insurance for the protection of Trust Property, (C) insurance as may be required by applicable law, or (D) such other insurance as the Trustees shall deem advisable, in each case as the Trustees shall determine;

(vi)    to authorize the Trust to establish pension, profit-sharing, share purchase, and other retirement, incentive and benefit plans, including the purchasing of life insurance and annuity contracts as a means of providing such retirement and other benefits, for any Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust;

(vii)    to authorize the Trust to guarantee indebtedness or contractual obligations of others;

(viii)    to determine and change the fiscal year of the Trust or any Series and the method by which its accounts shall be kept;

(ix)    to adopt a seal for the Trust, but the absence of such seal shall not impair the validity of any instrument executed on behalf of the Trust; and

(x)    to engage in any other lawful act or activity in connection with or incidental to any of the powers enumerated in this Declaration, to do everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of any purpose or the attainment of any object or the furtherance of any power herein set forth, either alone or in association with others, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant to or growing out of or connected with the aforesaid business or purposes, objects or powers.

(c)    The foregoing enumeration of the powers and authority of the Trustees shall be read as broadly and liberally as possible, it being the intent of the foregoing in no way to limit the Trustees’ powers and authority.
 
            Section 6.3.   Issuance and Repurchase of Shares.   The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust to issue, sell, repurchase, redeem, retire, cancel, acquire, hold, resell, reissue, dispose of, transfer, and otherwise deal in Shares and in any options,
 
 
 

 
 

warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or any other interests in the Trust other than Shares.
 
            Section 6.4.    Delegation; Committees.   The Trustees shall have power to delegate from time to time to one or more of their number or to officers, employees, agents or independent contractors of the Trust, the doing of such things and the execution of such instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Trustees or otherwise as the Trustees may deem expedient, except to the extent such delegation is prohibited by applicable law.  Without limiting the foregoing, and notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, the Trustees may by resolution appoint committees consisting of one or more, but less than the whole number of, Trustees then in office and such other members as the Trustees shall approve, which committees may be empowered to act for and bind the Trustees and the Trust, as if the acts of such committees were the acts of all the Trustees then in office.
 
            Section   6.5.    Collection and Payment.   The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust or its agents to:  collect all money or other property due to the Trust; to pay all claims, including taxes, against the Trust Property; to prosecute, defend, arbitrate, compromise or abandon any claims relating to the Trust Property; to foreclose any security interest securing any obligations, by virtue of which any money or other property is owed to the Trust; and to enter into releases, agreements and other instruments; but the Trustees shall have no liability for failing to authorize any of the foregoing.
 
            Section   6.6.    Expenses   The Trustees shall have the power to authorize the Trust to incur and pay any expenses which, in the opinion of the Trustees, are necessary or incidental to carry out any of the purposes of this Declaration, to pay compensation from the funds of the Trust to themselves as Trustees and to reimburse themselves from the funds of the Trust for their expenses and disbursements.  The Trustees shall fix the compensation of all officers, employees and Trustees.
 
            Section 6.7.    Manner of Acting.    Except as otherwise provided herein, under applicable law or in the By-laws, any action to be taken or determination made by the Trustees may be taken or made by a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting of Trustees (a quorum being present), including any meeting held by means of a conference telephone circuit or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, or by written consents of a majority of Trustees then in office.  Any such action or determination may be made by reference to one or more documents or instruments or policies or procedures outside this Declaration and outside the resolutions of the Trustees.  Except as set forth specifically in this Declaration, any action that may be taken by the Trustees may be taken by them in their sole discretion and without the vote or consent of Shareholders.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
               Section 6.8.    By-laws.   The Trustees may adopt By-laws not inconsistent with this Declaration to provide for the conduct of the business of the Trust and shall have the exclusive power to amend or repeal such By-laws.
 
               Section 6.9.    Principal Transactions.   Except in transactions not permitted by the 1940 Act, the Trustees may authorize the Trust to buy any securities or other assets from or sell or lend any securities or other assets of the Trust to, any affiliate of the Trust or any account managed by an affiliate of the Trust, any Trustee or officer of the Trust or any firm of which any such Trustee or officer is a member acting as principal, or have any such dealings with any investment adviser (or sub-adviser), distributor, administrator (or sub-administrator), custodian (or sub-custodian), transfer agent or (sub-transfer agent) or affiliate of the Trust or any account managed by an affiliate of the Trust.
 

Section 6.10.  Effect of Trustees' Determination .   Any action taken or determination made by or pursuant to the direction of the Trustees in good faith and consistent with the provisions of this Declaration shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding upon the Trust, every holder at any time of Shares and any other Person.

ARTICLE VII

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Section 7.1.  Investment Adviser and Administrator .   The Trust may enter into a contract or contracts with one or more Persons, to act as investment adviser, investment sub-adviser, manager, administrator, sub-administrator or other agent or independent contractor to the Trust or Series, and as such to perform such functions as the Trustees may deem reasonable and proper, including, without limitation, investment advisory, management, research, valuation of assets, clerical and administrative functions, under such terms and conditions, and for such compensation, as the Trustees may deem advisable.  The Trustees may also authorize or direct any adviser or sub-adviser to employ one or more sub-advisers from time to time and any administrator to employ one or more sub-administrators from time to time, upon such terms and conditions as shall be approved by the Trustees.

Section 7.2.  Underwriter; Transfer Agent; Shareholder Servicing Agent; Custodian.   The Trust may enter into a contract or contracts with one or more Persons to act as underwriters, distributors or placement agents whereby the Trust may either agree to sell Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class to the other party or parties to the contract or appoint such other party or parties its sales agent or agents for such Shares and with such other provisions as the Trustees may deem reasonable and proper, and the Trust may from time to time enter into transfer agency, sub-transfer agency and/or shareholder servicing contract(s), in each case with such terms and conditions, and providing for such compensation, as the Trustees may deem advisable.
 
 
 
 

 

 
All securities and cash of the Trust shall be held pursuant to a written contract or contracts with one or more custodians and subcustodians or shall otherwise be held in accordance with the 1940 Act.

Section 7.3.  Parties to Contract .   Any contract of the character described in this Article VII may be entered into with any Person, including, without limitation, the investment adviser, any investment sub-adviser or an affiliate of the investment adviser or sub-adviser, although one or more of the Trustees, officers, or Shareholders of the Trust may be an officer, director, trustee, shareholder, or member of such other party to the contract, or otherwise interested in such contract, and no such contract shall be invalidated or rendered voidable by reason of the existence of any such relationship, nor shall any Person holding such relationship be liable merely by reason of such relationship for any loss or expense to the Trust under or by reason of said contract or accountable for any profit realized directly or indirectly therefrom, provided that the contract when entered into was not inconsistent with the provisions of this Article VII or the By-laws.  The same Person may be a party to more than one contract entered into pursuant to this Article VII and any individual may   be financially interested or otherwise affiliated with Persons who are parties to any or all of the contracts mentioned in this Article VII.

                Section 7.4.  Further Authority of Trustees .   The authority of the Trustees hereunder to authorize the Trust to enter into contracts or other agreements or arrangements shall include the authority of the Trustees to modify, amend, waive any provision of, supplement, assign all or a portion of, novate, or terminate such contracts, agreements or arrangements.  The enumeration of any specific contracts in this Article VII shall in no way be deemed to limit the power and authority of the Trustees as set forth in Section 6.2 hereof to authorize the Trust to employ, contract with or make payments to such Persons as the Trustees may deem desirable for the transaction of the business of the Trust.

ARTICLE VIII

DISTRIBUTIONS; REDEMPTIONS; DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

 Section 8.1.  Distributions.   The Trustees may from time to time declare and authorize the payment of, or may prescribe and set forth in a duly adopted vote or votes of the Trustees, the bases and time or frequency, which may be monthly or otherwise, for the declaration and payment of, such dividends and distributions on Shares of a particular Series as they may deem necessary or desirable, after providing for actual and accrued expenses and liabilities (including such reserves as the Trustees may establish) determined in accordance with good accounting practices.  All dividends and distributions on Shares of a particular Series shall be distributed only from the Assets belonging to that Series, as such term is defined in Section 4.9 hereof, and shall be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders of that Series in proportion to the number of Shares of that Series held by such Shareholders at the date and time of record for the payment of such dividends or distributions, subject to any variations with respect to
 
 
 

 
 

Classes of Shares of such Series, if any, and in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the Code.  Such distributions may be paid in cash and/or in securities or other property, and the composition of any such distribution shall be determined by the Trustees and may be different among Shareholders (including differences among Shareholders in the same Series or Class).

Section 8.2.  Redemption of Shares . All Shares of the Trust shall be redeemable at the redemption price determined in the manner set out in this Declaration, provided however that if the Trustees determine, pursuant to Section 4.2 hereof to issue Shares of any Series or Class in Creation Units, then only Shares of such Series or Class aggregating a Creation Unit shall be redeemable hereunder, and unless the Trustees otherwise determine, there shall be no redemption of partial or fractional Creation Units.  The Trust shall redeem the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof at the price determined as hereinafter set forth, at such offices or agencies and in accordance with such conditions, not inconsistent with the 1940 Act, regarding the redemption of Shares as may be described in the applicable Prospectus.

Section 8.3.  Redemption Price .   Shares of each Series and Class thereof shall be redeemed at their net asset value determined as set forth in Section 8.7 hereof as of such time as the Trustees shall have theretofore prescribed, less such fees and/or charges, if any, as may be established by the Trustees from time to time.

Section 8.4.   Payment .  Payment of the redemption price of Shares of any Series or Class thereof shall be made in cash or in property or any combination thereof, out of the Assets belonging to such Series, as such term is defined in Section 4.9 hereof, and the composition of any such payment may be different among Shareholders (including differences among Shareholders in the same Series or Class), at such time and in the manner as may be specified from time to time in the applicable Prospectus.  In no event shall the Trust be liable for any delay of any other Person in transferring securities or other property selected for delivery as all or part of any such payment.

Section 8.5.  Redemption of Shareholder's Interest by Action of Trust.   Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Trust may redeem some or all of the Shares of the Trust or one or more Series or Classes held by any Shareholder for any reason and under terms set by the Trustees, including by way of illustration, for the following reasons:

(a)    the value of such Shares held by such Shareholder being less than the minimum amount established from time to time by the Trustees;

(b)    the determination that direct or indirect ownership of Shares by any Person has become concentrated in such Shareholder to any extent that would disqualify that Series as a regulated investment company under the Code;

(c)    the failure of a Shareholder to supply a tax identification or other identification or if the Trust is unable to verify a Shareholder’s identity;
 
 
 
 

 

 
(d)    the failure of a Shareholder to pay when due for the purchase of Shares issued to such Shareholder;

(e)    the   failure of a Shareholder to meet or maintain the qualifications for ownership of a particular Class or Series of Shares;

(f)    the payment of account fees or other charges, expenses and/or fees as set by the Trustees, including without limitation any small account fees permitted by Section 4.4 hereof;

(g)    the determination that ownership of Shares by a particular Shareholder is not in the best interests of the remaining Shareholders of the Trust or applicable Series or Class;

(h)    the failure of a holder of Shares or other securities of the Trust to comply with a demand pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof;

(i)    in connection with the termination of any Series or Class of Shares; or

(j)    when the Trust is requested or compelled to do so by governmental authority or applicable law.

Section 8.6.  Suspension of Right of Redemption .   Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may postpone payment of the redemption price and may suspend the right of the holders of Shares to require the Trust to redeem Shares to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act.

Section 8.7.  Determination of Net Asset Value; Valuation of Portfolio Assets.   The Trustees may from time to time prescribe such bases and times for determining the per Share net asset value of the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof and may prescribe or approve the procedures and methods for determining the value of portfolio assets as they may deem necessary or desirable.

The Trust may suspend the determination of net asset value during any period when it may suspend the right of the holders of Shares to require the Trust to redeem Shares.

Section 8.8   Reserves .   The Trustees may set apart, from time to time, out of any funds of the Trust or Series or of funds allocable to a Class thereof a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose, and may abolish any such reserve.

            Section 8.9.  Determination by Trustees .   The Trustees may make any determinations they deem necessary with respect to the provisions of this Article VIII, including, but not limited to, the following matters: the amount of the assets, obligations, liabilities and expenses of the Trust; the amount of the net income of the Trust from dividends, capital gains, interest or other sources for any period and the amount of assets
 
 
 

 
 

at any time legally available for the payment of dividends or distributions; which items are to be treated as income and which as capital; the amount, purpose, time of creation, increase or decrease, alteration or cancellation of any reserves or charges and the propriety thereof (whether or not any obligation or liability for which such reserves or charges were created shall have been paid or discharged); the market value, or any other price to be applied in determining the market value, or the fair value, of any security or other asset owned or held by the Trust; the number of Shares of the Trust issued or issuable; the net asset value per Share; and any of the foregoing matters as it may pertain to any Series or Class.

ARTICLE IX

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 9.1.  No Personal Liability of and   Indemnification of Shareholders .   No personal liability for any debt, liability or obligation or expense incurred by, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to, the Trust or any Series or Class shall attach to any Shareholder or former Shareholder of the Trust.  In case any Shareholder or former Shareholder of the Trust shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of his being or having been a Shareholder and not because of his acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or his heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives or in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor) shall be entitled out of the assets of the Trust or, if the Trust has more than one Series, the applicable Series, to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability; provided, however, there shall be no liability or obligation of the Trust arising hereunder to reimburse any Shareholder for taxes paid by reason of such Shareholder's ownership of any Shares or for losses suffered by reason of any changes in value of any Trust assets.  The Trust shall, upon request by the Shareholder or former Shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against the Shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust and satisfy any judgment thereon.

Section 9.2.  Limitation of Liability of Trustees and Others.   (a)    No Liability to Third Parties.   No person who is or has been a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person, other than the Trust or its Shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the Trust; and all Persons shall look solely to the Trust Property or Property of a Series for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust or such Series.

Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate, Share or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been executed or done only in or with respect to their or his or her capacity as Trustees or Trustee and neither such Trustees or Trustee nor the Shareholders shall be personally liable thereon.
 
 
 
 

 

 
All persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust shall look only to the assets of the Trust for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the Shareholders nor the Trustees, nor any of the Trust's officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefore.

( b)    Limitation of Liability to Trust and Shareholders.    No person who is or has been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any Shareholder, Trustee, officer, employee, or agent of the Trust for any action or failure to act (including without limitation the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust) except for his or her own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties involved in the conduct of the individual’s office, and for nothing else and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law.
 
(c)    No Liability for Acts of Others.   Without limiting the foregoing limitations of liability contained in this Section 9.2, a Trustee shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, employee, investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, custodian, transfer agent or other agent or independent contractor of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible or liable for the act or omission of any other Trustee (or for the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust), except in the case of such Trustee’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

(d)  Notice in Instruments.   Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made or issued by the Trustees or by any officers or officer on behalf of the Trust shall give notice that this Declaration is on file with the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, shall recite that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of the Trust by them as Trustees or as officers and not individually and that the obligations of such instrument are not binding upon any of them or the Shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust, and may contain such further recitals as they or he or she may deem appropriate, but the omission thereof shall not operate to bind any Trustees or officers or Shareholders  individually.

Section 9.3.   Experts; No Bond or Surety.   The Trustees may rely upon advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this Declaration and their duties as Trustees hereunder, and shall be under no liability for any act or omission in accordance with such advice or for failing to follow such advice.  In discharging their duties, the Trustees, when acting in good faith, shall be entitled to rely upon the books of account and records of the Trust and upon written or oral reports made to the Trustees by any officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any Trustee or committee of Trustees, or any counsel to the Trust, the Trustees, or any committee of Trustees , any independent registered public accounting firm and (with respect to the subject matter of the contract involved) any officer, partner or responsible employee of any other party to any contract entered into hereunder.  The appointment, designation or identification (including in any proxy or registration statement or other document) of a Trustee as chair of the Trustees, a
 
 
 

 
 

member or chair of a committee of the Trustees, an expert on any topic or in any area (including an audit committee financial expert), or the lead independent Trustee or as having experience, attributes or skills in any area, or any other appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee, shall not impose on that person any standard of care or liability that is greater than that imposed on that person as a Trustee in the absence of the appointment, designation or identification, and no Trustee who has special attributes, skills, experience or expertise, or is appointed, designated or identified as aforesaid, shall be held to a higher standard of care by virtue thereof.  In addition, no appointment, designation or identification of a Trustee as aforesaid shall affect in any way that Trustee's rights or entitlement to indemnification or advancement of expenses.  The Trustees shall not be required to give any bond as such, nor any surety if a bond is required.

Section 9.4.    Liability of Third Persons Dealing with the Trust or Trustees.   No Person dealing with the Trust or the Trustees shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of any transaction made or to be made by the Trust or Trustees or to see to the application of any payments made or property transferred to the Trust or upon its order.  The provisions of this Section 9.4 do not address or limit any claim that the Trust may have against any Person contracting with the Trust, or change any obligation owed to the Trust under any contract or otherwise.

Section 9.5.  Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses .   Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person” ), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.

The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof
 
 
 

 
 

upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.

To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys' fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

Section 9.6.  Further Indemnification. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which any Covered Person or other Person may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law or prevent the Trust from entering into any contract to provide indemnification to any Covered Person or other Person.  Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust may, in connection with the acquisition of assets subject to liabilities pursuant to Section 4.2 hereof or a merger or consolidation pursuant to Section 10.2 hereof, assume the obligation to indemnify any Person including a Covered Person or otherwise contract to provide such indemnification, and such indemnification shall not be subject to the terms of this Article IX.

Section 9.7.  Amendments and Modifications.   Without limiting the provisions of Section 11.1(b) hereof, in no event will any amendment, modification or change to the provisions of this Declaration or the By-laws adversely affect in any manner the rights of any Covered Person to (a) indemnification under Section 9.5 hereof in connection with any proceeding in which such Covered Person becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of being or having been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust or (b) any insurance payments under policies maintained by the Trust, in either case with respect to any act or omission of such Covered Person that occurred or is alleged to have occurred prior to the time such amendment, modification or change to this Declaration or the By-laws.

Section 9.8.  Derivative Actions.   (a)    The purpose of this Section 9.8 is to protect the interests of the Trust and its Shareholders by establishing a process that will permit legitimate inquiries and claims to be made and considered while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Trust and its Shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions.
 
 
 
 

 

 
(b)    No Shareholder may bring a derivative or similar action or proceeding in the right of the Trust or any Series to recover a judgment in its favor (a “derivative action”) unless each of the following conditions is met:

(i)    The complaining Shareholder was a Shareholder of the Series on behalf of or in the right of which the derivative action is proposed to be brought (the “affected Series”) at the time of the action or failure to act complained of, or acquired the Shares afterwards by operation of law from a Person who was a Shareholder at that time;

(ii)    The complaining Shareholder was a Shareholder of the affected Series at the time the demand required by subparagraph (iii) below was made;

(iii)    Prior to the commencement of such derivative action, the complaining Shareholder has made a written demand on the Trustees requesting that the Trustees cause the Trust to file the action itself on behalf of the affected Series (a “demand”), which demand shall include at least the following:

(1)    a detailed description of the action or failure to act complained of, the facts upon which each such allegation is made and the reasonably estimated damages or other relief sought;

(2)    a statement to the effect that the complaining Shareholder believes in good faith that the Shareholder will fairly and adequately represent the interests of similarly situated Shareholders in enforcing the rights of the affected Series and an explanation of why the complaining Shareholder believes that to be the case;

(3)    a certification that the requirements of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph (b) have been met, as well as information and documentation reasonably designed to allow the Trustees to verify that certification;

(4)    a list of all other derivative or class actions in which the complaining Shareholder is or was a named plaintiff, the court in which such action was filed, the date of filing, the name of all counsel to any plaintiffs and the outcome or current status of such actions;

(5)    a certification of the number of Shares of the affected Series owned beneficially or of record by the complaining Shareholder at the time set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this paragraph (b) and an undertaking that the complaining Shareholder will be a Shareholder of the affected Series as of the commencement of and throughout the derivative action and will notify the Trust in writing of any sale, transfer or other disposition by the complaining Shareholder of any such Shares within three business days thereof; and
 
 
 
 

 

 
(6)    an acknowledgment of the provisions of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this Section 9.8 below;

(iv)    A copy of the proposed derivative complaint must be served on the Trust, assuming the requirements of subparagraphs (i) through (iii) above have already been met and the derivative action has not been barred in accordance with paragraph (c)(1) below.

(c)    Within 90 calendar days of the receipt of a Shareholder demand submitted in accordance with the requirements above, those Trustees who are independent for purposes of considering the demand (the “independent Trustees”) will consider, with the assistance of counsel who may be retained by such Trustees on behalf and at the expense of the Trust, the merits of the claim and determine whether maintaining a suit would be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Series, as applicable.  If, during this 90-day period, those independent Trustees conclude that a determination as to the maintenance of a suit cannot reasonably be made within the 90-day period, those independent Trustees may extend the 90-day period by a period of time that the independent Trustees consider will be sufficient to permit them to make such a determination, not to exceed 60 calendar days from the end of the initial 90-day period (such 90-day period, as may be extended as provided hereunder, the “review period”).  Notice of any such decision to extend the review period shall be sent in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof to the complaining Shareholder, or, the Shareholder’s counsel if represented by counsel, in writing within five business days of any decision to extend the period.  Trustees who are not deemed to be Interested Persons of the Trust are deemed independent for all purposes, including for the purpose of approving or dismissing a derivative action.  A Trustee otherwise independent for purposes of considering the demand shall not be considered not to be independent solely by virtue of (i) the fact that such Trustee receives remuneration for his service as a Trustee of the Trust or as a trustee or director of one or more investment companies with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or underwriter, (ii) the amount of such remuneration, (iii) the fact that such Trustee was identified in the demand as a potential defendant or witness, or (iv) the fact that the Trustee approved the act being challenged in the demand if the act resulted in no material personal benefit to the Trustee or, if the Trustee is also a Shareholder, no material personal benefit that is not shared pro rata with other Shareholders.

(1)    If the demand has been properly made under paragraph (b) of this Section 9.8, and a majority of the independent Trustees have considered the merits of the claim and have determined that maintaining a suit would not be in the best interests of the Trust or the affected Series, as applicable, the demand shall be rejected and the complaining Shareholder shall not be permitted to maintain a derivative action unless the Shareholder first sustains the burden of proof to the court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Trust.  If upon such consideration a majority of the independent Trustees determine that such a suit should be maintained, then the appropriate officers of
 
 
 

 
 

the Trust shall either cause the Trust to commence that suit and such suit shall proceed directly rather than derivatively, or permit the complaining Shareholder to proceed derivatively, provided however that any counsel representing the interests of the Trust or the affected Series shall be approved by the Trustees.  The Trustees, or the appropriate officers of the Trust, shall inform the complaining Shareholder of any decision reached under this subparagraph (1) by sending in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof written notice to the complaining Shareholder, or the Shareholder’s counsel, if represented by counsel, within five business days of such decision having been reached.

(2)    If notice of a decision has not been sent to the complaining Shareholder or the Shareholder’s counsel within the time permitted by paragraph (1) above, and subparagraphs (i) through (iv) of paragraph (b) above have been complied with, the complaining Shareholder shall not be barred by this Declaration from commencing a derivative action.

(d)    A complaining Shareholder whose demand is rejected pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) above shall be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the Trust’s consideration of the demand if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose.  A Shareholder who commences or maintains a derivative action in violation of this Section 9.8 shall reimburse the Trust for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action if the action is dismissed on the basis of the failure to comply with this Section 9.8.  If a court determines that any derivative action has been brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action shall be borne by the Shareholder who commenced the action.

(e)    The Trust shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining Shareholder in any circumstances only if required by law.  Any attorneys’ fees so incurred by a complaining Shareholder that the Trust is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates.

(f)  A Shareholder of a particular Series of the Trust shall not be entitled in such capacity to commence a derivative action on behalf of any other Series of the Trust.

ARTICLE X

TERMINATION; MERGERS AND SALE OF ASSETS

Section 10.1.  Termination of Trust or Series .    (a)    Unless terminated as provided herein, the Trust shall continue without limitation of time.  The Trust or any Series of the Trust may be terminated at any time by the Trustees by written notice to the Shareholders of the Trust or such Series as the case may be.
 
 
 
 

 

 
(b)    Upon the requisite action of the Trustees to terminate the Trust or such Series, after paying or otherwise providing for all charges, taxes, expenses and liabilities, whether due or accrued or anticipated, as may be determined by the Trustees, which may include the establishment of a liquidating trust or similar vehicle, the Trust shall, in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees consider appropriate, reduce the remaining assets of the Trust or assets of the particular Series thereof to distributable form in cash or other securities, or any combination thereof, and distribute the proceeds to the Shareholders of the Shares of the Trust or such Series in the manner determined by the Trustees, provided that Shareholders of a particular Series shall be entitled to receive a pro rata share of the net assets of such Series only, subject to any variations with respect to Classes of Shares of such Series, if any.  Thereupon, the Trust or any affected Series shall terminate, and the Trustees and the Trust shall be discharged of any and all further liabilities and duties relating thereto or arising therefrom, and the right, title, and interest of all parties with respect to the Trust or such Series shall be canceled and discharged, and without limiting the foregoing, in the event that following the final distribution of the net assets of and the termination of the Trust or affected Series, as the case may be, the Trust or affected Series, receives or is entitled to receive any assets, the Trustees shall be under no obligation to distribute or provide for the distribution of such assets to the Shareholders of the Trust or affected Series, but may make such other arrangements for the distribution of such assets as they shall determine in their sole discretion to be reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances.   Notwithstanding the foregoing, at their discretion, the Trustees may abandon any previously adopted plan to terminate the Trust or a Series at any time.  The Trustees shall file or cause to be filed any instruments as may be required to be filed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other governmental office where such filing may be required in connection with the termination of the Trust or any Series thereof.

(c)  Any Class of the Trust may be terminated by the Trustees as provided in Article IV hereof.

Section 10.2.  Sale of Assets; Merger; Reorganization .    The Trustees may authorize the Trust or any Series or Class thereof to merge or consolidate with or sell, lease, transfer, pledge, exchange, convey or dispose of all or substantially all of the Trust Property (or all or substantially all of the Trust Property allocated or belonging to a particular Series or Class), including its good will to, any one or more business trusts, corporations or other business entities or series or classes thereof (including another Series or Class of the Trust) upon such terms and conditions and for such consideration (which may include the assumption of some or all of the outstanding obligations and liabilities, accrued or contingent, whether known or unknown, of the Trust or such Series or Class) as the Trustees may determine.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this provision may be utilized to permit the Trust or any Series to pursue its investment program through one or more subsidiary vehicles or to operate in a master-feeder or fund of funds structure.

Section 10.3.  Combination of Classes .   The authority of the Trustees under this Article X with respect to the merger, consolidation, sale of assets or reorganization of any
 
 
 

 
 

Class of the Trust or any Series thereof is in addition to the authority of the Trustees under Section 4.9 hereof to combine two or more Classes of a Series into a single Class.

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENTS; FILINGS; MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.1.  Amendments to Declaration.   (a)    The Trustees may by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office amend or otherwise supplement the Declaration by making an amendment, a Declaration supplemental hereto or an amended and restated Declaration, provided, however, that an amendment to any provision of Article V hereof shall require the vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Trustees then in office.

(b)    Nothing contained in this Declaration shall permit the amendment of this Declaration to impair any exemption from or limitation of personal liability of any Person who is or has been a Shareholder, Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, or limit the rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance provided in Article IX with respect to actions or omissions of persons entitled to indemnification, advancement of expenses or insurance under such Article prior to such amendment.

Section 11.2.  Filings; Copies of Declaration; Counterparts; Headings.   The original or a copy of this instrument and of each amendment and/or restatement hereto shall be kept in the office of the Trust where it may be inspected by any Shareholder.  A copy of this instrument, any amendment thereto, and any Designation executed in accordance with Section 4.9 hereof shall be filed by the Trustees with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as any other governmental office where such filing may from time to time be required, provided, however, that the failure to so file will not invalidate this instrument, any properly authorized amendment hereto, or Designation.  Anyone dealing with the Trust may rely on a certificate by an officer or Trustee of the Trust as to whether or not any such amendments, restatements or Designations have been made and as to any matters in connection with the Trust hereunder, and with the same effect as if it were the original, may rely on a copy certified by an officer or Trustee of the Trust to be a copy of this instrument or of any such amendments, restatements or Designations.  This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.  Headings are placed herein for convenience of reference only, and in case of any conflict, the text of this instrument, rather than the headings, shall control.

Section 11.3.  Trustees May Resolve Ambiguities.   The Trustees may construe any of the provisions of this Declaration insofar as the same may appear to be ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions hereof, and any such construction hereof by the Trustees in good faith shall be conclusive as to the meaning to be given to such provisions.
 
 
 
 

 

 
Section 11.4.  Applicable Law; Forum Selection; Jury Waiver . (a)    The Trust set forth in this instrument is created under and is to be governed by and construed and administered according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without reference to its conflicts of law rules, as a Massachusetts business trust, and without limiting the provisions hereof, the Trust specifically reserves the right to exercise any of the powers and privileges afforded to business trusts or actions that may be engaged in by business trusts, and the absence of a specific reference herein to any such power, privilege, or action shall not imply that the Trust may not exercise such power or privilege or take such actions.

(b)    Notwithstanding the first sentence of Section 11.4(a) hereof, there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Trustees, or this Declaration any provisions of the laws (statutory or common) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (other than Chapter 182 of the Massachusetts General Laws) or any other state pertaining to trusts, including by way of illustration and without limitation, laws that relate to or regulate:  (i) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges; (ii) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers, agents, or employees of a trust; (iii) the necessity for obtaining a court or other governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding, or disposition of real or personal property; (iv) fees or other sums applicable to trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust; (v) the allocation of receipts and expenditures to income or principal; (vi) restrictions or limitations on the permissible nature, amount, or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage, or other manner of holding of trust assets; or (vii) the establishment of fiduciary or other standards or responsibilities or limitations on the acts or powers or authorities and powers of trustees.

(c)    No provision of this Declaration shall be effective to require a waiver of compliance with any provision of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the 1940 Act, or of any valid rule, regulation or order of the Commission thereunder.

(d)    Any action commenced by a Shareholder, directly or derivatively, against the Trust or a Series thereof, its Trustees or officers, shall be brought only in a federal court of competent jurisdiction in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, or if jurisdiction or venue does not lie in any such court only in a court of competent jurisdiction within the State of Illinois (the “Chosen Courts”).  The Trust, its Trustees and officers, and its Shareholders each (a) consent to jurisdiction in the Chosen Courts; (b) waive any objection to venue in any of the Chosen Courts and (c) waive any objection that any of the Chosen Courts is an inconvenient forum.  In any action commenced by a Shareholder against the Trust or any Series thereof, its Trustees or officers, or as a derivative action on behalf of the Trust, or any Series thereof there shall be no right to a jury trial.  THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IS EXPRESSLY WAIVED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Section 11.5.  Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.   ( a)    The provisions of this Declaration are severable, and if the Trustees shall determine, with the
 
 
 

 
 

advice of counsel, that any such provision, in whole or in part, is in conflict with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company provisions of the Code, and the regulations thereunder, or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision, or the conflicting part or parts thereof, shall be deemed not to constitute a part of this Declaration; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of this Declaration or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination.

(b)    If any provision of this Declaration shall be held invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision, or such part or parts thereof, in such jurisdiction and shall not in any manner affect such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of this Declaration in any jurisdiction.

Section 11.6.  Writings.   To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, except as the Trustees may otherwise determine:

(a)    any requirements in this Declaration or in the By-laws that any action be taken by means of any writing, including, without limitation, any written instrument, any written consent or any written agreement, shall be deemed to be satisfied by means of any electronic record in such form that is acceptable to the Trustees provided such form is capable of conversion into a written form within a reasonable time; and

(b)    any requirements in this Declaration or in the By-laws that any writing be signed shall be deemed to be satisfied by any electronic signature in such form that is acceptable to the Trustees.

Signature page follows
 
 
 
 

 

 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being the sole Trustee of the Trust, has executed this instrument as of the date first written above.


/s/ Benjamin T. Fulton                     
Benjamin T. Fulton, as Trustee
207 South Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

 
 
 

 

 
SCHEDULE A
Series
(Effective as of April 7, 2015)


WHEREAS, the Trustee(s) of the Trust, acting pursuant to Section 4 of the initial Declaration, initially divided the Shares of the Trust into one Series:

Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio

 with such relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms as are set forth below:

1.           Each Share of a Series is entitled to all the rights and preferences accorded to Shares under the Declaration.
 
2.           The number of authorized Shares of a Series is unlimited.
 
3.           A Series shall be authorized to hold cash, invest in securities, instruments and other property, use investment techniques, and have such goals or objectives as from time to time described in the prospectus and statement of additional information contained in the Trust’s then currently effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 to the extent pertaining to the offering of Shares of the Series, as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time (“Prospectus”).  Each Share of a Series shall represent a beneficial interest in the net assets allocated or belonging to such Series only, and such interest shall not extend to the assets of the Trust generally (except to the extent that General Assets (as defined in the Declaration) are allocated to such Series), and shall be entitled to receive its pro rata share of the net assets of the Series upon liquidation of the Series, all as set forth in Section 4.9 of the Declaration.
 
4.           With respect to a Series, (a) the purchase price of the Shares, (b) fees and expenses,  (c) qualifications for ownership, if any, (d) the method of determination of the net asset value of the Shares, (e) Creation Unit size or minimum purchase amounts, if any, (f) minimum account size, if any, (g) the price, terms and manner of redemption of the Shares, (h) any conversion or exchange feature or privilege, (i) the relative dividend rights, and (j) any other relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms have been established by the Trustees in accordance with the Declaration and are set forth in the Prospectus with respect to such Series.
 
5.           The Trustees may from time to time modify any of the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a Series that have been established by the Trustees or redesignate any of the Series without any action or consent of the Shareholders.
 
6.           The designation of any Series hereby shall not impair the power of the Trustees from time to time to designate additional Series of Shares of the Trust.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
7.           Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings given to such terms in the Declaration.


BY-LAWS
OF
ELKHORN ETF TRUST

Dated: April 7, 2015

ARTICLE 1
Declaration of Trust and Principal Office

1.1  Declaration of Trust.   These By-laws are adopted pursuant to Section 6.8 of the Declaration of Trust, as from time to time in effect (the “Declaration”), of Elkhorn ETF Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust”) and shall be subject to the terms of the Declaration.  Any capitalized term not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning given to such term in the Declaration.  In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of these By-Laws and the terms of the Declaration or of any applicable laws, the terms of the Declaration or of such applicable laws shall control.

1.2  Principal Office of the Trust.   The principal office of the Trust is located at 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois  60187, or such other place as shall be determined by the Trustees from time to time.  The Trust may have offices in such other places within or outside the State of Illinois or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

ARTICLE 2
Trustees

2.1 Chair .  The Trustees may elect from their own number a Chair to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, removal or disqualification.  The Chair (or, if the Chair is unable to attend any such meeting, the Chair’s designee) shall preside at all meetings of the Trustees.  The Chair shall have such other duties and powers as are set forth in these By-laws and as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

2.2  Regular Meetings.   Regular meetings of the Trustees may be held without call or notice at such places (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) as the Trustees may from time to time determine.

2.3  Special Meetings.   Special meetings of the Trustees may be held at any time and at any place (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) designated in the call of the meeting when called by the Chair, the President or the Secretary or by two or more Trustees,
 
 
 

 
 

sufficient notice thereof as described in Section 2.4 below being given to each Trustee by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or by the person calling the meeting.

2.4  Notice of Special Meetings.   It shall be sufficient notice to a Trustee of a special meeting to send notice by overnight mail at least two days or by email or facsimile at least one day before the meeting addressed to the Trustee at his or her usual or last known business or residence address, email address or facsimile number as applicable, or to give notice in person or by telephone one day before the meeting.  Notice may be sent on the day of the special meeting by email, facsimile or other electronic means, or given by telephone or in person, if under the circumstances the party calling the meeting deems more immediate action to be necessary or appropriate.  Notice of a special meeting need not be given to any Trustee if a written waiver of notice, executed by him or her before or after the meeting, is filed with the records of the meeting, or to any Trustee who attends the meeting without protesting prior thereto or at its commencement the lack of notice to him or her.  Neither notice of a meeting nor a waiver of a notice need specify the purposes of the meeting.

2.5  Quorum and Manner of Acting.   At any meeting of the Trustees a majority of the Trustees then in office shall constitute a quorum.  Any meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the votes cast upon the question, whether or not a quorum is present, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice.  A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal from the meeting of one or more Trustees if any action taken is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that meeting.  The Declaration contains further provisions relating to the manner of acting by the Trustees.

2.6  Actions by Consent.   If, in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration, any action is taken by the Trustees by a written consent of fewer than all of the Trustees, prompt notice of any such action shall be furnished to each Trustee who did not execute such written consent, provided that the effectiveness of such action shall not be impaired by any delay or failure to furnish such notice.  Any written consents may be executed and delivered in counterparts and by electronic means.  The Declaration contains further provisions relating to action by consent of the Trustees.

2.7.  Counsel and Experts.   The Trustees who are not Interested Persons may, by vote of a majority of such Trustees, at the Trust’s expense, hire such employees and retain such counsel, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants whose services such Trustees may, in their discretion, determine to be necessary or desirable from time to time, including services to one or more committees established by the Trustees, and may execute any agreements, contracts, instruments or other documents in connection therewith.

ARTICLE 3
Committees

3.1  Establishment and Authority.   The Declaration contains provisions relating to the establishment of committees by the Trustees.  Each committee shall have such powers and authority as shall be authorized by the Trustees, and may fix its own rules and procedures, and
 
 
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adopt its own charter, in each case subject to approval by the Trustees.  The Trustees may abolish any such committee or rescind any action of any committee at any time in their sole discretion.  Any committee to which the Trustees delegate any of their powers shall maintain records of its meetings and shall report its actions to the Trustees.  The Trustees shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in the committees.  The Trustees may designate one or more Trustees as alternate members of any committee who may replace any absent member at any meeting of the committee.

3.2  Quorum; Voting. Unless the specific rules and procedures adopted by a committee in accordance with Section 3.1 provide otherwise, a majority of the members of any committee of the Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and any action of such a committee may be taken at a meeting by a vote of a majority of the members present (a quorum being present) or evidenced by one or more writings signed by such a majority (which writings may be executed and/or delivered by electronic means).  Members of a committee may participate in a meeting of such committee by means of a conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time and participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.

3.3  Compensation of Members.   The chair, if any, and members of any duly appointed committee shall receive such compensation and/or fees and reimbursement for expenses as from time to time may be determined by the Trustees.

ARTICLE 4
Officers

4.1  Enumeration; Qualification.   The officers of the Trust shall be a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary, a Chief Compliance Officer and such other officers as the Trustees from time to time may in their discretion elect, appoint or authorize in accordance with Section 4.2 below.  Any officer of the Trust may, but need not, be a Trustee or a Shareholder.  Any two or more offices, except those of President and Vice-President, may be held by the same person.

4.2  Election.   The President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary and the Chief Compliance Officer shall be elected or appointed by the Trustees upon the occurrence of a vacancy in any such office.  The Chief Compliance Officer shall be elected or appointed by a majority of the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act, or otherwise in accordance with Rule 38a-1 (or any successor rule) under the 1940 Act as in effect from time to time (“Rule 38a-1”).  Other officers, if any, may be elected or appointed by the Trustees at any time, or the Trustees may delegate to the President the power to appoint such other officers as the Trustees shall at any time or from time to time deem advisable.  Vacancies in any such other office may be filled at any time.  Each officer shall hold office at the pleasure of the Trustees, provided that any removal of the Chief Compliance Officer shall be in accordance with Rule 38a-1 .
 
 
 
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4.3  Powers.   Subject to the other provisions of these By-Laws, each officer shall have, in addition to the duties and powers herein and in the Declaration set forth, such duties and powers as are commonly incident to the office occupied by him or her as if the Trust were organized as a Massachusetts business corporation and such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time designate.

4.4  President.   Unless the Trustees otherwise provide, the President shall be the chief executive officer of the Trust.

4.5  Chief Financial Officer.   Unless the Trustees provide otherwise, the Chief Financial Officer shall be the treasurer and chief accounting officer of the Trust, and shall, subject to the provisions of the Declaration and to any arrangement made by the Trustees with a custodian, investment adviser or manager, or transfer, shareholder servicing or similar agent, be in charge of the valuable papers, books of account and accounting records of the Trust, and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from time to time by the Trustees or by the President.

4.6  Secretary.   The Secretary shall record all proceedings of the Shareholders and the Trustees in books to be kept therefor.  In the absence of the Secretary from any meeting of the shareholders or Trustees, an Assistant Secretary, or if there be none or if he or she is absent, a temporary Secretary chosen at such meeting shall record the proceedings thereof in the aforesaid books.

4.7  Chief Compliance Officer.   The Chief Compliance Officer shall perform the duties and shall have the responsibilities of the chief compliance officer of the Trust, including any such duties and responsibilities imposed by Rule 38a-1, and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from time to time by the Trustees.

4.8  Resignations and Removals.   Any officer may resign at any time by written instrument signed by him or her and delivered to the Chair, the President or the Secretary or to a meeting of the Trustees.  Such resignation shall be effective upon receipt unless specified to be effective at some other time.  The Trustees may remove any officer at any time with or without cause.  Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement with the Trust, no officer resigning and no officer removed shall have any right to any compensation for any period following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages on account of such removal.


ARTICLE 5
Shareholders

5.1  Meetings.   There shall be no annual meetings of Shareholders except as required by law. A meeting of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series or Class shall be called by the Secretary whenever ordered by (i) a majority of Trustees then in office, (ii) the Chair or (iii) the President.  Meetings of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series or Class shall also be called by the Secretary upon the order of the Trustees upon the written request of the Shareholders holding Shares representing, in the aggregate, not less than one-third of the voting power of the
 
 
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Outstanding Shares entitled to vote on the matters specified in such written request; provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the Shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice thereof, which the Secretary shall determine and specify to such Shareholders.   No special meeting need be called upon the request of Shareholders entitled to cast less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at that meeting to consider any matter which is substantially the same as a matter voted on at any meeting of the Shareholders during the preceding twelve months.  If the Secretary fails for more than 30 days to call a special meeting, the Trustees, the Chair or the President requesting such a meeting may, in the name of the Secretary, call the meeting by giving the required notice.  If the meeting is a meeting of Shareholders of any Series or Class, but not a meeting of all Shareholders of the Trust, then only a special meeting of Shareholders of such Series or Class need be called and, in such case, only Shareholders of such Series or Class shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting .

The Trustees may determine, or may authorize the officers of the Trust to determine, the date, time and place for any meeting of Shareholders, which place may be within or outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Any meeting so called may be postponed or cancelled prior to the meeting (with respect to one or more or all Series or Classes entitled to vote at the meeting) provided that notice of such postponement or cancellation is given, to the extent time permits, to the Shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting, but only if notice of such meeting had been previously given to such Shareholders.

Whenever a matter is required to be voted upon by Shareholders of the Trust in the aggregate under the Declaration, the Trust may either hold a meeting of Shareholders of all Series and Classes to vote on such matter, or hold separate meetings of Shareholders of one or more of the individual Series and/or Classes to vote on such matter, provided that (i) such separate meetings shall be held within one year of each other and (ii) a quorum of the individual Series and/or Classes shall be present at each such separate meeting, and the votes of Shareholders at all such separate meetings shall be aggregated in order to determine if sufficient votes have been cast for such matter to be voted.

5.2  Record Dates.   For the purpose of determining the Shareholders of the Trust or any Series or Class of Shares of the Trust who are entitled to vote or act at any meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, or who are entitled to receive payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, the Trustees may, from time to time, fix a time, or may authorize the officers to fix a time, which shall be not more than 90 days before the date set for any meeting of Shareholders (without regard to any adjournments or postponements thereof) or more than 60 days before the date of payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, as the record date for determining the Shareholders of the Trust or such Series or Class having the right to receive notice of and to vote at such meeting and any adjournment or postponements thereof or the right to receive such dividend or distribution, and in such case only Shareholders on such record date shall have such right notwithstanding any transfer of shares on the books of the Trust after the record date; or,
 
 
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without fixing such record date, the Trustees may for any such purposes close the register or transfer books for all or part of such period.

5.3  Notice of Meetings .  Notice of all meetings of Shareholders and any postponements thereof, stating the time, place and purposes of the meeting, shall be given by the Secretary or the Trustees in accordance with Section 5.9 hereof at least seven days and not more than 90 days before the date for the meeting set forth in such notice, to each Shareholder of record of the applicable Series or Class as determined pursuant to Section 5.2 hereof.  Any adjourned meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice if the date, time and place of the adjourned meeting were announced at the time of the adjournment, even if the date of such adjourned meeting is more than 120 days after the date set for the original meeting.  Where separate meetings are held for Shareholders of an individual Series or Class to vote on a matter required to be voted on by Shareholders of the Trust in the aggregate, notice of each such separate meeting shall be provided in the manner described above in this Section.

5.4  Quorum .  The holders of Outstanding Shares entitled to vote and present, in person or by proxy, representing thirty percent (30%) of the voting power of the Trust shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Shareholders; except that where pursuant to any provision of law, the Declaration or these By-Laws a vote shall be taken by an individual Series or Class, then Outstanding Shares entitled to vote and who are present, in person or by proxy, representing thirty percent (30%) of the voting power of that Series or Class shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by that Series or Class.  For the purposes of establishing whether a quorum is present, all Shares present and entitled to vote, including abstentions and broker non-votes, shall be counted.

5.5  Adjournments .  Any meeting of Shareholders may, by action of the person presiding thereat, be adjourned with respect to one or more matters to be considered at such meeting, whether or not a quorum is present with respect to such matter.  Unless a proxy is otherwise limited in this regard, any Shares present and entitled to vote at a meeting that are represented by broker non-votes, may, at the discretion of the proxies named therein, be voted in favor of such an adjournment .

5.6  Proxies .  At any meeting of Shareholders, any holder of Shares entitled to vote thereat may vote by proxy, provided that no proxy shall be voted at any meeting unless it shall have been placed on file with the Secretary, or with such other officer or agent of the Trust as the Trustees or officers may direct, for verification prior to the time at which such vote shall be taken.  In connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Trustees, a Shareholder may give instructions, through telephonic or electronic methods of communication or via the Internet, for another person to execute his or her proxy if, in each case, such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant in each case to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose as reasonably designed to verify that such instructions have been authorized by such Shareholder; and the placing of a Shareholder’s name on a proxy pursuant to such instructions shall constitute execution of such proxy by or on behalf of such Shareholder. Proxies may also be submitted via facsimile if such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose.   Pursuant to a vote of the
 
 
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Trustees, proxies may be solicited in the name of one or more Trustees and/or one or more of the officers of the Trust.  When any Share is held jointly by several persons, any one of them may vote at any meeting in person or by proxy in respect of such Share, but if more than one of them shall be present at such meeting, in person or by proxy, and such joint owners or their proxies so present disagree as to any vote to be cast, such vote shall not be received in respect of such Share, but shall be counted as present at the meeting for all other purposes.  A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Shareholder shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger.  If the holder of any such Share is a minor or a person of unsound mind, and subject to guardianship or to the legal control of any other person as regards the charge or management of such Share, such Share may be voted by such guardian or such other person appointed or having such control, and such vote may be given in person or by proxy. Unless otherwise specifically limited by their terms, proxies shall entitle the holder thereof to vote at any postponement or adjournment of a meeting, and no proxy shall be valid after eleven months from its date. A Shareholder who has submitted a proxy may revoke or withdraw the proxy with respect to any matter to be considered at a meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof if such revocation or withdrawal is properly received prior to the vote on that matter, by delivering a duly executed proxy bearing a later date or by attending the meeting or the adjournment or postponement thereof and voting in person on the matter or matters.

5.7  Conduct of Meetings.   Meetings of the Shareholders shall be presided over by the Chair, or, if the Chair is not present at the meeting, by another Trustee or officer designated by the Chair, or if there is no such designee present at the meeting, then by the most senior officer of the Trust present at the meeting and such person shall be deemed for all purposes the chairman of the meeting.   The chairman of the meeting shall determine the order of business of the meeting and may prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and take such actions as, in the discretion of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting.  For any matter to be properly before any meeting of Shareholders, the matter must be either specified in the notice of meeting given by or at the direction of a majority of the Trustees then in office or otherwise brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the chairman of the meeting.  With the exception of Shareholder proposals submitted in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor provisions, only matters proposed by the Trustees may be included in the Trust’s proxy materials.  The Trustees may, from time to time in their discretion, provide for procedures by which Shareholders may, prior to any meeting at which Trustees are to be elected, submit the names of potential candidates for Trustee, to be considered by the Trustees, or any proper committee thereof.  At all meetings of Shareholders, unless voting is conducted by Inspectors of Election (as defined in Section 5.8 below), all questions relating to the qualification of voters and the validity of proxies and the acceptance or rejection of votes shall be decided by the chairman of the meeting.

5.8  Inspectors of Election.   In advance of any meeting of Shareholders, the Trustees, or at any such meeting, the Trustees or the chairman of the meeting, may appoint one or more persons as Inspectors of Election to act as inspectors at the meeting or any adjournment thereof (“Inspectors of Election”).  If any person appointed as an Inspector of Election fails to appear or fails or refuses to act, the chairman of the meeting may appoint a person to fill the vacancy.  Unless otherwise instructed by the Trustees, or by the chairman of the meeting, the Inspectors of
 
 
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Election shall determine the number of Outstanding Shares, the Shares represented at the meeting, (i) the existence of a quorum, the authenticity, validity and effect of proxies, (ii) shall receive votes, ballots or consents, (iii) shall hear and determine all challenges and questions in any way arising in connection with the right to vote, (iv) shall count and tabulate all votes and consents and determine the results, and do such other acts as may be proper to conduct the election or vote .

5.9  Communications with Shareholders.   Any notices, reports, statements or other communications with Shareholders of any kind required under the Declaration, these By-Laws or applicable law may be sent, delivered or made available by mail or other carrier, in person, by email or other electronic communication or by posting on a website or publication or in any other reasonable manner as may be determined by the Trustees if not otherwise prohibited by applicable law, and such communications may be sent, delivered or otherwise made available to Shareholders in accordance with householding or other similar rules under which a single copy of such notice or report may be sent to Shareholders who reside at the same address.  No communication need be given to any Shareholder who shall have failed to inform the Trust of the Shareholder's current address and the Trustees may from time to time adopt, or may authorize the officers or agents of the Trust to adopt, procedures or policies with respect to communications to Shareholders that are returned to the Trust or its agents as undeliverable and similar matters.  Any Shareholder may waive receipt of any notice or other communication.  Communications shall be deemed to have been given at the time when delivered personally or deposited in the mail or with another carrier or sent by any means of written or electronic communication or, where notice is given by posting on a website or by publication, on the date of posting or publication.  An affidavit of the mailing or other means of giving any notice of any meeting of Shareholders shall be filed and maintained with the records of the Trust.

The foregoing provisions shall apply mutatis mutandis to any communications given to a Shareholder’s counsel under Section 9.8 of the Declaration;, provided, however, that communications provided to either a Shareholder or Shareholder's counsel under Section 9.8 may not by made by means of posting on a website or by publication.

ARTICLE 6
Shares and Share Certificates

6.1  Shares. Shares shall be held on the books of the Trust by one or more transfer agents appointed in accordance with Section 7.2 of the Declaration (each, a “Transfer Agent”) in uncertificated form, and the record holders of such Shares shall be treated for all purposes as Shareholders under the Declaration.

6.2  Share Transfers.   Transfers of Shares of the Trust shall be made only on the books of the Trust, as maintained by the Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares, by the registered holder thereof, or by his attorney thereunto authorized by power of attorney duly executed and filed with the Transfer Agent for such Shares.  Except as may be otherwise provided by law or these By-Laws, the person in whose name Shares stand on the books of the Trust shall be deemed the owner thereof for all purposes as regards the Trust; provided that properly documented pledges
 
 
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of Shares as collateral security may be accounted for by the Transfer Agent in accordance with its standard procedures with respect thereto.

6.3  Regulations .  The Trustees may make such additional rules and regulations, not inconsistent with these By-Laws, as they may deem expedient concerning the issue, transfer and registration of Shares.

ARTICLE 7
Miscellaneous

7.1 Books and Records.   The books and records of the Trust and any Series or Classes thereof, including the share ledger or ledgers, may be kept in or outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at such office or offices of the Trust and/or its agents as may from time to time be determined by the officers of the Trust.

7.2  Access to Book and Records.   The Shareholders shall only have such right to inspect the records, documents, accounts and books of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof as are granted to Shareholders in the sole discretion of the Trustees.

7.3  Seal.   The Trustees may adopt a seal of the Trust which shall be in such form and shall have such inscription thereon as the Trustees may from time to time prescribe, but unless otherwise required by the Trustees, the seal shall not be necessary to be placed on, and its absence shall not impair the validity of, any document, instrument or other paper executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Trust.

7.4  Execution of Papers.   All deeds, leases, contracts, notes and other obligations made by the Trustees shall be signed by the President, any Vice President elected by the Trustees, the Chief Financial  Officer, the Secretary or any other officer elected by the Trustees, except as the Trustees may generally or in particular cases authorize the execution thereof in some other manner, or as otherwise provided in these By-Laws.

7.5  Severability.   The provisions of these By-Laws are severable.  If the Trustees determine, with the advice of counsel, that any provision hereof conflicts with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company or other provisions of the Code or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of these By-Laws; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of these By-Laws or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination.  If any provision hereof shall be held invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision only in such jurisdiction and shall not affect any other provision of these By-Laws.

7.6  Headings.   Headings are placed in these By-Laws for convenience of reference only and in case of any conflict, the text of these By-Laws rather than the headings shall control.

ARTICLE 8
Amendments to the Bylaws
 
 
 
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8.1  General.   These By-Laws may be amended, supplemented, amended and restated, or repealed, in whole or in part, by a majority of the Trustees then in office at any meeting of the Trustees, or by one or more writings signed by such a majority.
 

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Investment Management Agreement
 
Investment Management Agreement made this [    ] day of [             ], 2015, by and between Elkhorn ETF Trust , a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust” ), and Elkhorn Investments, LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (the “Adviser” ).
 
Whereas , the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ( “1940 Act” ), as an open-end management investment company;
 
Whereas , the Trust is authorized to issue shares in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
 
Whereas , the Trust intends to offer shares in series as set forth on Schedule A attached hereto and any other series as to which this Agreement may hereafter be made applicable and set forth on Schedule A, which may be amended from time to time (each such series being herein referred to as a “Fund,” and collectively as the “Funds” ); and
 
Whereas , the Trust desires to retain the Adviser as investment adviser, to furnish certain investment advisory and portfolio management services to the Trust with respect to the Funds, and the Adviser is willing to furnish such services.
 
W i t n e s s e t h:
 
In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, it is hereby agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:
 
1. The Trust hereby engages the Adviser to act as the investment adviser for, and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of, each Fund in accordance with each Fund’s investment objectives and policies and limitations, and to administer each Fund’s affairs to the extent requested by and subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust for the period and upon the terms herein set forth.  The investment of each Fund’s assets shall be subject to the Fund’s policies, restrictions and limitations with respect to securities investments as set forth in the Fund’s then current registration statement under the 1940 Act, Declaration of Trust, By-laws of the Trust and all applicable laws and the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the management of registered open-end management investment companies.
 
The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees during such period to render such services, to furnish office facilities and equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services (other than such services, if any, provided by the Funds’ transfer agent, administrator or other service providers) for the Funds, to permit any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions, and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation herein provided.  The Adviser shall at its own expense furnish all executive and other personnel, office space, and office facilities required to render the investment management and administrative services set forth in this Agreement.  In the event that the Adviser pays or assumes any expenses of a Fund not required to be paid or
 
 
 

 
 

assumed by the Adviser under this Agreement, the Adviser shall not be obligated hereby to pay or assume the same or similar expense in the future; provided, that nothing contained herein shall be deemed to relieve the Adviser of any obligation to a Fund under any separate agreement or arrangement between the parties.
 
2. The Adviser shall, for all purposes herein provided, be deemed to be an independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, shall neither have the authority to act for nor represent the Trust in any way, nor otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
 
3. For the services and facilities described in Section 1, each Fund will pay to the Adviser, at the end of each calendar month, and the Adviser agrees to accept as full compensation therefor, an investment management fee equal to the annual rate of each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth on Schedule A.
 
For the month and year in which this Agreement becomes effective, or terminates, there shall be an appropriate proration on the basis of the number of days that the Agreement shall have been in effect during the month and year, respectively.  The services of the Adviser to the Trust under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to render similar services or other services to others so long as its services hereunder are not impaired thereby.
 
4. During the term of this Agreement, the Adviser shall pay all of the expenses of each Fund of the Trust (including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services and license fees) but excluding the fee payment under this Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses.
 
5. The Adviser shall arrange for suitably qualified officers or employees of the Adviser to serve, without compensation from the Trust, as trustees, officers or agents of the Trust, if duly elected or appointed to such positions, and subject to their individual consent and to any limitations imposed by law.
 
6. The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute the purchases and sales of a Fund’s securities on behalf of the Fund, and is directed to use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain best execution, which includes most favorable net results and execution of the Fund’s orders, taking into account all appropriate factors, including price, dealer spread or commission, size and difficulty of the transaction and research or other services provided.  Subject to approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and to the extent permitted by and in conformance with applicable law (including Rule 17e-1 of the 1940 Act), the Adviser may select brokers or dealers affiliated with the Adviser.  It is understood that the Adviser will not be deemed to have acted unlawfully, or to have breached a fiduciary duty to the Trust, or be in breach of any obligation owing to the Trust under this Agreement, or otherwise, solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a member of a securities exchange, a broker or a dealer a commission for effecting a securities transaction for the Fund in excess of
 
 
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the amount of commission another member of an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged if the Adviser determined in good faith that the commission paid was reasonable in relation to the brokerage or research services provided by such member, broker or dealer, viewed in terms of that particular transaction or the Adviser’s overall responsibilities with respect to its accounts, including the Fund, as to which it exercises investment discretion.
 
In addition, the Adviser may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, aggregate purchase and sale orders of securities with similar orders being made simultaneously for other accounts managed by the Adviser or its affiliates, if in the Adviser’s reasonable judgment such aggregation shall result in an overall economic benefit to a Fund, taking into consideration the selling or purchase price, brokerage commissions and other expenses.  In the event that a purchase or sale of an asset of a Fund occurs as part of any aggregate sale or purchase orders, the objective of the Adviser and any of its affiliates involved in such transaction shall be to allocate the securities so purchased or sold, as well as expenses incurred in the transaction, among the Fund and other accounts in an equitable manner.  Nevertheless, each Fund acknowledges that under some circumstances, such allocation may adversely affect the Fund with respect to the price or size of the securities positions obtainable or salable.  Whenever a Fund and one or more other investment advisory clients of the Adviser have available funds for investment, investments suitable and appropriate for each will be allocated in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable to each, although such allocation may result in a delay in one or more client accounts being fully invested that would not occur if such an allocation were not made.  Moreover, it is possible that due to differing investment objectives or for other reasons, the Adviser and its affiliates may purchase securities of an issuer for one client and at approximately the same time recommend selling or sell the same or similar types of securities for another client.
 
The Adviser will not arrange purchases or sales of securities between a Fund and other accounts advised by the Adviser or its affiliates unless (a) such purchases or sales are in accordance with applicable law (including Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act) and the Trust’s policies and procedures, (b) the Adviser determines the purchase or sale is in the best interests of each Fund, and (c) the Trust’s Board of Trustees have approved these types of transactions.
 
To the extent a Fund seeks to adopt, amend or eliminate any objectives, policies, restrictions or procedures in a manner that modifies or restricts Adviser’s authority regarding the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions, the Fund agrees to use reasonable commercial efforts to consult with the Adviser regarding the modifications or restrictions prior to such adoption, amendment or elimination.
 
The Adviser will communicate to the officers and trustees of the Trust such information relating to transactions for the Funds as they may reasonably request.  In no instance will portfolio securities be purchased by or sold to the Adviser or any affiliated person of either the Trust or the Adviser, except as may be permitted under the 1940 Act.
 
 
 
- 3 -

 
 
 
The Adviser further agrees that it:
 
(a) will use the same degree of skill and care in providing such services as it uses in providing services to fiduciary accounts for which it has investment responsibilities;
 
(b) will conform in all material respects to all applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and comply in all material respects with all policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees for the Trust and communicated to the Adviser and, in addition, will conduct its activities under this Agreement in all material respects in accordance with any applicable regulations of any governmental authority pertaining to its investment advisory activities;
 
(c) will report regularly to the Board of Trustees of the Trust (generally on a quarterly basis) and will make appropriate persons available for the purpose of reviewing with representatives of the Board of Trustees on a regular basis at reasonable times the management of each Fund, including, without limitation, review of the general investment strategies of each Fund, the performance of each Fund’s investment portfolio in relation to relevant standard industry indices and general conditions affecting the marketplace and will provide various other reports from time to time as reasonably requested by the Board of Trustees of the Trust; and
 
(d) will prepare and maintain such books and records with respect to each Fund’s securities and other transactions as required under applicable law and will prepare and furnish the Trust’s Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports as the Board of Trustees may reasonably request.  The Adviser further agrees that all records which it maintains for each Fund are the property of the Fund and the Adviser will surrender promptly to the Fund any such records upon the request of the Fund ( provided, however, that Adviser shall be permitted to retain copies thereof); and shall be permitted to retain originals (with copies to the Fund) to the extent required under Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or other applicable law.
 
7. Subject to applicable statutes and regulations, it is understood that officers, trustees, or agents of the Trust are, or may be, interested persons (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder) of the Adviser as officers, directors, agents, shareholders or otherwise, and that the officers, directors, shareholders and agents of the Adviser may be interested persons of the Trust otherwise than as trustees, officers or agents.
 
8. The Adviser shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any asset, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
 
 
 
- 4 -

 
 
 
9. Subject to obtaining the initial and periodic approvals required under Section 15 of the 1940 Act (after taking into effect any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely), the Adviser may retain one or more sub-advisers at the Adviser’s own cost and expense for the purpose of furnishing one or more of the services described in Section 1 hereof with respect to a Fund.  In addition, the Adviser may adjust from time to time the duties delegated to any sub-adviser, the portion of portfolio assets of the Trust that the sub-adviser shall manage and the fees to be paid to the sub-adviser pursuant to any sub-advisory agreement or other arrangement entered into in accordance with this Agreement, subject to the approvals set forth in Section 15 of the 1940 Act if required including after taking into account any exemptive order, no-action assurances or other relief upon which the respective Fund may rely.  Retention of a sub-adviser shall in no way reduce the responsibilities or obligations of the Adviser under this Agreement and the Adviser shall be responsible to a Fund for all acts or omissions of any sub-adviser in connection with the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder.
 
10. The Trust acknowledges that the Adviser intends in the future to act as an investment adviser to other managed accounts and as investment adviser or sub-investment adviser to one or more other investment companies that are not a series of the Trust.  In addition, the Trust acknowledges that the persons employed by the Adviser to assist in the Adviser’s duties under this Agreement will not devote their full time to such efforts.  It is also agreed that the Adviser may use any supplemental research obtained for the benefit of the Trust in providing investment advice to its other investment advisory accounts and for managing its own accounts.
 
11. This Agreement, with respect to each Fund, was initially approved, and is effective, provided it was approved by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities held by shareholders of the respective Fund in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act.  This Agreement shall continue in effect until the termination date set forth in the attached Schedule A, unless and until terminated by either party as hereinafter provided, and shall continue in force from year to year thereafter, but only as long as such continuance is specifically approved, at least annually, in the manner required by the 1940 Act.
 
This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, and may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by a Trust or by the Adviser upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the other party.  Each Fund may effect termination by action of the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, accompanied by appropriate notice.  This Agreement may be terminated, at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, in the event that it shall have been established by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Adviser, or any officer or director of the Adviser, has taken any action which results in a breach of the material covenants of the Adviser set forth herein.  Termination of this Agreement shall not affect the right of the Adviser to receive payments on any unpaid balance of the compensation, described in Section 3, earned prior to such termination and for any additional period during which the Adviser serves as such for the Fund, subject to applicable law.  The terms “assignment” and “vote of the majority of outstanding voting securities” shall have the same meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
 
 
 
- 5 -

 
 
 
12. This Agreement may be amended or modified only by a written instrument executed by both parties.
 
13. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule, or otherwise, the remainder shall not be thereby affected.
 
14. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed, postage prepaid, to the other party at such address as such other party may designate for receipt of such notice.
 
15. All parties hereto are expressly put on notice of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and all amendments thereto, a copy of which is on file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the limitation of shareholder and trustee liability contained therein.  This Agreement is executed on behalf of the Trust by the Trust’s officers as officers and not individually and the obligations imposed upon the Trust by this Agreement are not binding upon any of the Trust’s Trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust, and persons dealing with the Trust must look solely to the assets of the Trust and those assets belonging to the subject Trust, for the enforcement of any claims.
 
16. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with applicable federal law and (except as to Section 16 hereof which shall be construed in accordance with the laws of Massachusetts) the laws of the State of Illinois.
 
 
 
- 6 -

 
 
 
In Witness Whereof , the Trust and the Adviser have caused this Agreement to be
executed on the day and year above written.
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
By                                                               
Name: ___________________
Title: ____________________
 
Attest:                                                            
Name:___________________
Title:____________________
 
Elkhorn Investments, LLC
 
By                                                               
Name: ___________________
Title  ____________________
 
Attest:                                                            
Name:___________________
Title:____________________
 
 
 
- 7 -

 
 
 
Schedule A
 
(As of [   ], 2015)

Funds
 
 
Series
Annual Rate
of Average
Daily Net
Assets
Initial
Board
Approval
Date
Shareholder
Approval Date
Initial
Effective
Date
Termination
Date
           
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
[  ]%
[  ], 2015
[  ], 2015
[  ], 2015
[  ], 2015

 

DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of __________, 2015, between Elkhorn ETF Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Fund”), and ALPS Distributors, Inc., a Colorado corporation (“ALPS”).

WHEREAS, the Fund is an open-end non-diversified investment company offering a number of portfolios of securities, each investing primarily in equity securities selected to reflect the performance of a particular market index, having filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);

               WHEREAS, ALPS is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”);

WHEREAS, the Fund intends to create and redeem shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per Share (the “Shares”) of each portfolio on a continuous basis at their net asset value only in aggregations constituting a Creation Unit, as such term is defined in the registration statement;

WHEREAS, the Fund desires to retain ALPS to act as the distributor with respect to the issuance and distribution of Creation Units of Shares of each portfolio, hold itself available to receive and process orders for such Creation Units in the manner set forth in the Fund’s prospectus; and

WHEREAS, ALPS desires to provide the services described herein to the Fund.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, the parties agree as follows.
 
1.  
ALPS Appointment and Duties.
       
 
(a)
The Fund hereby appoints ALPS as the exclusive distributor for Creation Unit aggregations of Shares of each portfolio listed in Appendix A hereto, as may be amended from time to time, and to perform the duties that are set forth in Appendix B hereto as amended from time to time, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth. ALPS hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish such specified services.  ALPS shall for all purposes be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, except as otherwise expressly authorized in this Agreement, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
       
 
(b)
ALPS may employ or associate itself with a person or persons or organizations as ALPS believes to be desirable in the performance of its duties hereunder; provided that, in such event, the compensation of such person or persons or organizations shall be paid by and be the sole responsibility of ALPS, and the Fund shall bear no cost or obligation with respect thereto; and provided further that ALPS shall not be relieved of
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
    any of its obligations under this Agreement in such event and shall be responsible for all acts of any such person or persons or organizations taken in furtherance of this Agreement to the same extent it would be for its own acts.
       
2.  
ALPS Compensation; Expenses.
       
 
(a)
ALPS will bear all expenses in connection with the performance of its services under this Agreement, except as otherwise provided herein.  ALPS will not bear any of the costs of Fund personnel.  Other Fund expenses incurred shall be borne by the Fund or the Fund’s investment adviser, including, but not limited to, initial organization and offering expenses; the blue sky registration and qualification of Shares for sale in the various states in which the officers of the Fund shall determine it advisable to qualify such Shares for sale (including registering the Fund as a broker or dealer or any officer of the Fund as agent or salesman in any state); litigation expenses; taxes; costs of preferred shares; expenses of conducting repurchase offers for the purpose of repurchasing Fund shares; administration, transfer agency, and custodial expenses; interest; Fund or trustees’ fees; brokerage fees and commissions; state and federal registration fees; advisory fees; insurance premiums; fidelity bond premiums; Fund and investment advisory related legal expenses; costs of maintenance of Fund existence; printing and delivery of materials in connection with meetings of the Fund’s trustees; printing and mailing of shareholder reports, prospectuses, statements of additional information, other offering documents and supplements, proxy materials, and other communications to shareholders; securities pricing data and expenses in connection with electronic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
       
3.
Documents.   The Fund has furnished or will furnish, upon request, ALPS with copies of the Fund’s Declaration of Trust, advisory agreement, custodian agreement, transfer agency agreement, administration agreement, current prospectus, statement of additional information, periodic Fund reports, and all forms relating to any plan, program or service offered by the Fund. The Fund shall furnish, within a reasonable time period, to ALPS a copy of any amendment or supplement to any of the above-mentioned documents. Upon request, the Fund shall furnish promptly to ALPS any additional documents necessary or advisable to perform its functions hereunder. As used in this Agreement the terms “registration statement,” “prospectus” and “statement of additional information” shall mean any registration statement, prospectus and statement of additional information filed by the Fund with the SEC and any amendments and supplements thereto that are filed with the SEC.
       
4.
Insurance.   ALPS agrees to maintain fidelity bond and liability insurance coverages which are, in scope and amount, consistent with coverages customary for distribution activities relating to the Fund.  ALPS shall notify the Fund upon receipt of any notice of material, adverse change in the terms or provisions of its insurance coverage. Such notification shall include the date of change and the reason or reasons therefore. ALPS shall notify the Fund of any material claims against it, whether or not covered by insurance, and shall notify the Fund
 
 
 
2

 
 
 
  from time to time as may be appropriate of the total outstanding claims made by it under its insurance coverage.
       
5.
Right to Receive Advice.
       
 
(a)
Advice of the Fund and Service Providers.  If ALPS is in doubt as to any action it should or should not take, ALPS may request directions, advice, or instructions from the Fund or, as applicable, the Fund’s investment adviser, custodian, or other service providers.
       
 
(b)
Advice of Counsel.  If ALPS is in doubt as to any question of law pertaining to any action it should or should not take, ALPS may request advice from counsel of its own choosing (who may be counsel for the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser, or ALPS, at the option of ALPS).
       
 
(c)
Conflicting Advice.  In the event of a conflict between directions, advice or instructions ALPS receives from the Fund or any service provider and the advice ALPS receives from counsel, ALPS may in its sole discretion and subject to Section 6 of this Agreement rely upon and follow the advice of counsel.  ALPS will provide the Fund with prior written notice of its intent to follow advice of counsel that is materially inconsistent with directions, advice or instructions from the Fund.  Upon request, ALPS will provide the Fund with a copy of such advice of counsel.
       
6.
Standard of Care; Limitation of Liability; Indemnification.
       
 
(a)
ALPS shall be obligated to act in good faith and to exercise commercially reasonable care and diligence in the performance of its duties under this Agreement.
       
 
(b)
In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard by ALPS in the performance of its duties, obligations, or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement, ALPS and its affiliates, including their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees, shall not be liable for, and the Fund agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless such persons from, all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims, and liabilities (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising under applicable federal and state laws) arising directly or indirectly from the following:
       
   
(i)
the inaccuracy of factual information furnished to ALPS by the Fund or the Fund’s investment adviser, custodians, or other service providers;
       
   
(ii)
any untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact required to  be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading under the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act, or any other statute or the common law, in any registration statement, prospectus, statement of additional information, shareholder report, or other information filed or made public by the Fund (as amended from time to time), except to the extent the statement or omission was
 
 
 
3

 
 
 
      made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf of ALPS and its affiliates, including their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees;
       
   
(iii)
any error of judgment or mistake of law made by the Fund or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates;
       
   
(iv)
losses, delays, failure, errors, interruption or loss of data occurring directly or indirectly by reason of circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation, acts of God, action or inaction of civil or military authority, war, terrorism, riot, fire, flood, sabotage, labor disputes, elements of nature, or non-performance by a third party;
       
   
(v)
ALPS’ reliance on any instruction, direction, notice, instrument or other information that ALPS reasonably believes to be genuine;
       
   
(vi)
loss of data or service interruptions caused by equipment failure; or
       
   
(vii)
any other action or omission to act which ALPS takes in connection with the provision of services to the Fund.
       
 
(c)
ALPS shall indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser and their respective officers, trustees, directors, agents, and employees from and against any and all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims, and liabilities (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising under applicable federal and state laws) arising directly or indirectly from ALPS’ willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard in the performance of its duties, obligations, or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement.
       
 
(d)
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither party shall be liable under this Agreement to the other party hereto for any punitive, consequential, special or indirect losses or damages.  Any indemnification payable by a party to this Agreement shall be net of insurance maintained by the indemnified party as of the time the claim giving rise to indemnity hereunder is alleged to have arisen to the extent it covers such claim.
       
7.
Activities of ALPS.   The services of ALPS under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and ALPS shall be free to render similar services to others.  The Fund recognizes that from time to time directors, officers and employees of ALPS may serve as directors, officers and employees of other corporations or businesses (including other investment companies) and that such other corporations and businesses may include ALPS as part of their name and that ALPS or its affiliates may enter into distribution agreements or other agreements with such other corporations and businesses.
       
8.
Accounts and Records.   The accounts and records maintained by ALPS shall be the property of the Fund.  ALPS shall prepare, maintain and preserve such accounts and records as
 
 
 
4

 
 
 
  required by the 1940 Act and other applicable securities laws, rules and regulations.  ALPS shall surrender such accounts and records to the Fund , in the form in which such accounts and records have been maintained or preserved , promptly upon receipt of instructions from the Fund.  The Fund shall have access to such accounts and records at all times during ALPS’ normal business hours.  Upon the reasonable request of the Fund, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by ALPS to the Fund at the Fund’s expense.  ALPS shall assist the Fund, the Fund’s independent auditors, or, upon approval of the Fund, any regulatory body, in any requested review of the Fund’s accounts and records, and reports by ALPS or its independent accountants concerning its accounting system and internal auditing controls will be open to such entities for audit or inspection upon reasonable request.  ALPS or its undersigned as defined by Rule 17a-4 of the Securities and Exchange Act (the “Exchange Act”), shall have access to all electronic communications, including password access to the system storing the electronic communications, of registered representatives of ALPS that are associated with the Fund and are required to be maintained under Rule 17a-4 of the Exchange Act and FINRA Rules 3110 and 3010.  Electronic storage media maintained by the Fund will comply with Rule 17a-4 of the Exchange Act.
       
9.
Confidential and Proprietary Information.   ALPS agrees that it will, on behalf of itself and its officers and employees, treat all transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and all records and information relative to the Fund and its current and former shareholders and other information germane thereto, as confidential and as proprietary information of the Fund and not to use, sell, transfer, or divulge such information or records to any person for any purpose other than performance of its duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing from the Fund, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.  Approval may not be withheld where ALPS may be exposed to civil, regulatory, or criminal proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or when requested by the Fund.  When requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, ALPS shall use reasonable commercial efforts to request confidential treatment of such information.  ALPS shall have in place and maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access to or use of records and information relating to the Fund and its current and former shareholders.
       
10.
Compliance with Rules and Regulations.   ALPS shall comply (and to the extent ALPS takes or is required to take action on behalf of the Fund hereunder shall cause the Fund to comply) with all applicable requirements of the 1940 Act and other applicable laws, rules, regulations, orders and code of ethics, as well as all investment restrictions, policies and procedures adopted by the Fund of which ALPS has knowledge   (it being understood that ALPS is deemed to have knowledge of all investment restrictions, policies or procedures set out in the Fund’s public filings or otherwise provided to ALPS).  Except as set out in this Agreement, ALPS assumes no responsibility for such compliance by the Fund.  ALPS shall maintain at all times a program reasonably designed to prevent violations of the federal securities laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act) with respect to the services provided, and shall provide to the Fund a certification to such effect no less than annually or as otherwise reasonably requested by the Fund.  ALPS shall make available its compliance
 
 
 
5

 
 
 
  personnel and shall provide at its own expense summaries and other relevant materials relating to such program as reasonably requested by the Fund.
       
11.
Representations and Warranties of ALPS.   ALPS represents and warrants to the Fund that:
       
 
(a)
It is duly organized and existing as a corporation and in good standing under the laws of the State of Colorado.
       
 
(b)
It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of Incorporation and By-laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
       
 
(c)
All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
       
 
(d)
It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement in accordance with industry standards.
       
 
(e)
ALPS has conducted a review of its supervisory controls system and has made available to the Fund the most current report of such review and any updates thereto.  Every time ALPS conducts a review of its supervisory control system it will make available to the Fund for inspection a report of such review and any updates thereto.  ALPS shall immediately notify the Fund of any changes in how it conducts its business that would materially change the results of its most recent review of its supervisory controls system and any other changes to ALPS’ business that would affect the business of the Fund or the Fund’s investment adviser.
       
 
(f)
It is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a FINRA member.
       
12.
Representations and Warranties of the Fund.   The Fund represents and warrants to ALPS that:
       
 
(a)
It is a trust duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the state of Massachusetts and is registered with the SEC as an open-end non-diversified management investment company.
       
 
(b)
It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration of Trust and By-laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
       
 
(c)  
The Board of Trustees of the Fund has duly authorized it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
       
 
(d)
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Fund agrees not to make any modifications to its registration statement or adopt any policies which would affect materially the obligations or responsibilities of ALPS hereunder without the prior written approval or ALPS, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
 
 
 
6

 
 
 
13.
Duties of the Fund.
       
 
(a)
ALPS and the Fund shall regularly consult with each other regarding ALPS’ performance of its obligations under this Agreement. In connection therewith, the Fund shall submit to ALPS at a reasonable time in advance of filing with the SEC reasonably final copies of any amended or supplemented registration statement (including exhibits) under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement shall in any way limit the Fund’s right to file at any time such amendments to any registration statement and/or supplements to any prospectus or statement of additional information, of whatever character, as the Fund may deem advisable, such right being in all respects absolute and unconditional.
       
 
(b)
The Fund agrees to issue Creation Unit aggregations of Shares of the Fund and to request The Depository Trust Company to record on its books the ownership of such Shares in accordance with the book-entry system procedures described in the prospectus in such amounts as ALPS has requested through the transfer agent in writing or other means of data transmission, as promptly as practicable after receipt by the Fund of the requisite deposit securities and cash component (together with any fees) and acceptance of such order, upon the terms described in the Registration Statement.  The Fund may reject any order for Creation Units or stop all receipts of such orders at any time upon reasonable notice to ALPS, in accordance with the provisions of the Prospectus.
       
 
(c)
The Fund agrees that it will take all action necessary to register an indefinite number of Shares under the 1933 Act.  The Fund shall make available to ALPS, at ALPS’ expense, such number of copies of its prospectus, statement of additional information, and periodic reports as ALPS may reasonably request.  The Fund will furnish to ALPS copies of all information, financial statements and other papers, which ALPS may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Creation Units.
       
 
(d)
The Fund agrees to execute any and all documents and to furnish any and all information and otherwise to take all actions that may be reasonably necessary in connection with the qualification of the Shares for sale in such states as ALPS may designate.  The Fund will keep ALPS informed of the jurisdictions in which Creation Units of the Fund are authorized for sale and shall promptly notify ALPS of any change in this information.
       
14.
Anti-Money Laundering.   ALPS agrees to maintain an anti-money laundering program in compliance with Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”) and all applicable laws and regulations promulgated thereunder. ALPS confirms that, as soon as possible, following the request from the Fund, ALPS will supply the Fund with copies of ALPS’ anti-money laundering policy and procedures, and such other relevant certifications and representations regarding such policy and procedures as the Fund may reasonably request from time to time. ALPS will provide, to the Fund, any Financial
 
 
 
7

 
 
 
  Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) request received pursuant to USA Patriot Act Section 314(a), which the Fund may then provide to its transfer agent.
       
15.
Liaison with Accountants.   ALPS shall act as a liaison with the Fund’s independent public accountants and shall provide account analysis, fiscal year summaries, and other audit-related schedules with respect to the services provided to the Fund.  ALPS shall take all reasonable action in the performance of its duties under this Agreement to assure that the necessary information is made available to such accountants as reasonably requested or required by the Fund.
       
16.
Business Interruption Plan.   ALPS shall maintain in effect a business interruption plan, and enter into any agreements necessary with appropriate parties making reasonable provisions for emergency use of electronic data processing equipment customary in the industry.  In the event of equipment failures, ALPS shall, at no additional expense to the Fund, take commercially reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions.
       
17. Duration and Termination of this Agreement.
       
 
(a)  
Initial Term.  This Agreement shall become effective as of the later of the date first written above or the commencement of operations of the Fund (the “Start Date”) and shall continue thereafter throughout the period that ends two (2) years after the Start Date (the “Initial Term”).
       
 
(b)
Renewal Term.  If not sooner terminated, this Agreement shall renew at the end of the Initial Term and shall thereafter continue for successive annual periods, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Fund’s Board of Trustees or (ii) by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant portfolio of the Fund, provided that in either event the continuance is also approved by the majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any party to this Agreement by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.  If a plan under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act is in effect, continuance of the plan and this Agreement must be approved at least annually by a majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) and have no financial interest in the operation of such plan or in any agreements related to such plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
       
 
(c)
This Agreement is terminable without penalty on sixty (60) days’ written notice by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, by vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant portfolio, or by ALPS.
       
 
(d)
Deliveries Upon Termination.  Upon termination of this Agreement, ALPS agrees to cooperate in the orderly transfer of distribution duties and shall deliver to the Fund or as otherwise directed by the Fund (at the expense of the Fund) all records and other documents made or accumulated in the performance of its duties for the Fund hereunder.   In the event ALPS gives notice of termination under this Agreement, it will
 
 
 
8

 
 
 
    continue to provide the services contemplated hereunder after such termination at the contractual rate for up to 120 days, provided that the Fund uses all reasonable commercial efforts to appoint such replacement on a timely basis.
       
18.
Assignment.   This Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).  This Agreement shall not be assignable by the Fund without the prior written consent of ALPS.
       
19.
Governing Law.   The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder.  To the extent that the laws of the State of New York conflict with the 1940 Act or such rules, the latter shall control.
       
20.
Names.   The obligations of the Fund entered into in the name or on behalf thereof by any trustee, shareholder, representative, or agent thereof are made not individually, but in such capacities, and are not binding upon any of the trustees, shareholders, representatives or agents of the Fund personally, but bind only the property of the Fund, and all persons dealing with the Fund must look solely to the property of the Fund for the enforcement of any claims against the Fund.
       
21.
Amendments to this Agreement.   This Agreement may only be amended by the parties in writing.
       
22.
Notices.   All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall be deemed to have been given when received or when sent by telex or facsimile, and shall be given to the following addresses (or such other addresses as to which notice is given):

To ALPS:
 
ALPS Distributors, Inc.
1290 Broadway, Suite 1100
Denver, Colorado  80203
Attn:  General Counsel
Fax:  (303) 623-7850

To the Fund:

Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Attn: Benjamin T. Fulton
 
23.
Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
 
 
 
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24.
Entire Agreement .  This Agreement embodies the entire agreement and understanding among the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof; provided, however, that ALPS may embody in one or more separate documents its agreement, if any, with respect to delegated duties and oral instructions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.


ELKHORN ETF TRUST

By:                                                                      
Name: Benjamin T. Fulton
Title:



ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.

By:                                                                            
Name: Jeremy O. May
Title:   President

 
 
10

 


APPENDIX A

LIST OF PORTFOLIOS

Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio


 
11

 
 
 
APPENDIX B

SERVICES

(a)           The Fund grants to ALPS the exclusive right to receive all orders for purchases of Creation Units of each portfolio from participating parties (“Authorized Participants”) which have entered into a participant agreement with ALPS and the transfer agent in accordance with the registration statement (“Participant Agreements”) and to transmit such orders to the Fund in accordance with the registration statement; provided, however, that nothing herein shall affect or limit the right and ability of the Fund to accept deposit securities and related cash components through or outside the clearing process, and as provided in and in accordance with the registration statement.  The Fund acknowledges that ALPS shall not be obligated to accept any certain number of orders for Creation Units.

(b)           ALPS agrees to act as agent of the Fund with respect to the continuous distribution of Creation Units of the Fund as set forth in the registration statement and in accordance with the provisions thereof.  ALPS further agrees as follows:  (a) ALPS shall enter into Participant Agreements among Authorized Participants, ALPS, and the transfer agent in accordance with the registration statement; (b) ALPS shall generate and transmit confirmations of Creation Unit purchase order acceptances to the purchaser; (c) ALPS shall deliver copies of the prospectus to purchasers of such Creation Units and upon request the statement of additional information; and (d) ALPS shall maintain telephonic, facsimile and/or access to direct computer communications links with the transfer agent.

(c)           (i)           ALPS agrees to use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to facilitate the purchase of Creation Units through Authorized Participants in accordance with the procedures set forth in the prospectus and the Participant Agreements.

(ii)           ALPS shall, at its own expense, execute selected or soliciting dealer agreements with registered broker-dealers and other eligible entities providing for the purchase of Creation Units of Shares of the Fund and related promotional activities, in the forms as approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.  The Fund shall not furnish or cause to be furnished to any person or display or publish any information or materials relating to the Fund (including, without limitation, promotional materials and sales literature, advertisements, press releases, announcements, statements, posters, signs or other similar material), except such information and materials that have been approved in writing by ALPS.  Furthermore, ALPS shall clear and file all advertising, sales, marketing and promotional materials of the Funds with FINRA.

(d)           ALPS agrees to administer the Fund’s distribution plan on behalf of the Fund.  ALPS shall, at its own expense, set up and maintain a system of recording and payments for fees and reimbursement of expenses disseminated pursuant to this Agreement and any other related agreements under the Fund’s Rule 12b-1 Plans and shall,
 
 
 

 
 

pursuant to the 1940 Act, report such payment activity under the Distribution Plan to the Fund at least quarterly.

(e)           All activities by ALPS and its agents and employees which are primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units shall comply with the registration statement, the instructions of the Board of Trustees of the Fund and all applicable laws, rules and regulations including, without limitation, all rules and regulations made or adopted pursuant to the 1940 Act by the SEC or any securities association registered under the 1934 Act, including FINRA and the Listing Exchange.

(g)           Except as otherwise noted in the registration statement, the offering price for all Creation Units of Shares will be the aggregate net asset value of the Shares per Creation Unit of the portfolio, as determined in the manner described in the registration statement.

(h)           If and whenever the determination of net asset value is suspended and until such suspension is terminated, no further orders for Creation Units will be processed by ALPS except such unconditional orders as may have been placed with ALPS before it had knowledge of the suspension.  In addition, the Fund reserves the right to suspend sales and ALPS’ authority to process orders for Creation Units on behalf of the Fund, upon due notice to ALPS, if, in the judgment of the Fund, it is in the best interests of the Fund to do so.  Suspension will continue for such period as may be determined by the Fund.

(i)           ALPS is not authorized by the Fund to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in the registration statement or prospectus or contained in shareholder reports or other material that may be prepared by or on behalf of the Fund for ALPS’ use.

(j)           The Board of Trustees shall approve the form of any Soliciting Dealer Agreement to be entered into by ALPS.

(k)           At the request of the Fund, ALPS shall enter into agreements, in the form specified by the Fund, with participants in the system for book-entry of The Depository Trust Company and the NSCC as described in the prospectus.

(l)           ALPS shall ensure that all direct requests for prospectuses, statements of additional of information and periodic fund reports, as applicable, are fulfilled.  In addition, ALPS shall arrange to provide the Listing Exchange (and any other national stock exchange on which the Shares may be listed) with copies of prospectuses to be provided to purchasers in the secondary market.  ALPS will generally make it known in the brokerage community that prospectuses and statements of additional information are available, including by (i) advising the Listing Exchange on behalf of its member firms of the same, (ii) making such disclosure in all marketing and advertising materials prepared and/or filed by ALPS with FINRA, and (iii) as may otherwise be required by the SEC.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
(m)           ALPS agrees to make available, at the Fund’s request, one or more members of its staff to attend Board meetings of the Fund in order to provide information with regard to the ongoing distribution process and for such other purposes as may be requested by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

           (n)           ALPS will review all sales and marketing materials for compliance with applicable laws and conditions of any applicable exemptive order, and file such materials with FINRA when necessary or appropriate.  All such sales and marketing materials must be approved, in writing, by ALPS prior to use.
EXECUTION
 
 
CUSTODY AGREEMENT
 
AGREEMENT, dated as of April 21, 2015 between Elkhorn ETF Trust, a business trust organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, having its principal office and place of business at 207 Reber Street, Wheaton, IL 60187 (the “Trust”) and The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to do a banking business, having its principal office and place of business at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286 (“Custodian”).
 
W I T N E S S E T H:
 
That for and in consideration of the mutual promises hereinafter set forth the Trust and Custodian agree as follows:
 
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
 
Whenever used in this Agreement, the following words shall have the meanings set forth below:
 
1.   “Authorized Person” shall be any person, whether or not an officer or employee of the Trust, duly authorized by the Trust’s board to execute any Certificate or to give any Oral Instruction with respect to one or more Accounts, such persons to be designated in a Certificate annexed hereto as Schedule I hereto or such other Certificate as may be received by Custodian from time to time.
 
2.    “Book-Entry System” shall mean the Federal Reserve/Treasury book-entry system for receiving and delivering securities, its successors and nominees.
 
3.   “Business Day” shall mean any day on which Custodian and relevant Depositories are open for business.
 
4.   “Certificate” shall mean any notice, instruction, or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to Custodian, which is actually received by Custodian by letter or facsimile transmission and signed on behalf of the Trust by an Authorized Person or a person reasonably believed by Custodian to be an Authorized Person.
 
5.   “Composite Currency Unit” shall mean the Euro or any other composite currency unit consisting of the aggregate of specified amounts of specified currencies, as such unit may be constituted from time to time.
 
6.   “Custodian Affiliate” shall mean any office, branch or subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
 
7.    “Depository” shall include (a) the Book-Entry System, (b) the Depository Trust Company, (c) any other book-entry system or clearing agency or securities depository registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission identified to the Trust from time to time, and (d) the respective successors and nominees of the foregoing.
 
 
 
 

 
 
8.   “Foreign Depository” shall mean (a) Euroclear, (b) Clearstream Banking, societe anonyme, (c) each Eligible Securities Depository as defined in Rule 17f-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, identified to the Trust from time to time and identified to the Trust and (d) the respective successors and nominees of the foregoing identified to the Trust prior to the use of such successor or nominee.
 
9.   “Instructions” shall mean communications actually received by Custodian by S.W.I.F.T., tested telex, letter, facsimile transmission, computer-to-computer interface or other method or system specified by Custodian as available for use in connection with the services hereunder.
 
10.   “Oral Instructions” shall mean verbal instructions received by Custodian from an Authorized Person or from a person reasonably believed by Custodian to be an Authorized Person.
 
11.   “Series” shall mean the various portfolios, if any, of the Trust listed on Schedule II hereto, and if none are listed references to Series shall be references to the Trust.
 
12.   “Securities” shall include, without limitation, any common stock and other equity securities, bonds, debentures and other debt securities, notes, mortgages or other obligations, and any instruments representing rights to receive, purchase, or subscribe for the same, or representing any other rights or interests therein (whether represented by a certificate or held in a Depository or by a Subcustodian).
 
13.   “Subcustodian” shall mean a bank (including any branch thereof) or other financial institution (other than a Foreign Depository) located outside the U.S. which is utilized by Custodian in connection with the purchase, sale or custody of Securities hereunder and identified to the Trust from time to time, and their respective successors and nominees.
 
14.   “Transfer Agent” shall mean The Bank of New York Mellon or an affiliate, subject to a separate Transfer Agency and Service Agreement entered into between the parties, or any successor transfer agent identified to Custodian in a Certificate.
 
ARTICLE II
APPOINTMENT OF CUSTODIAN; ACCOUNTS;
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, AND COVENANTS
 
1.              (a) The Trust hereby appoints Custodian as custodian of all Securities and cash at any time delivered to Custodian during the term of this Agreement, and authorizes Custodian to hold Securities in registered form in its name or the name of its nominees.  Custodian hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to establish and maintain one or more securities accounts and cash accounts for each Series in which Custodian will hold Securities and cash as provided herein.  Custodian shall maintain books and records segregating the assets of each Series from the assets of any other Series.  Such accounts (each, an “Account”; collectively, the “Accounts”) shall be in the name of the Trust.
 
(b)   Custodian may from time to time establish on its books and records such sub-accounts within each Account as the Trust and Custodian may agree upon (each a “Special Account”), and Custodian shall reflect therein such assets as the Trust may specify in a Certificate or Instructions.
 
 
 
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(c)   Custodian may from time to time establish pursuant to a written agreement with and for the benefit of a broker, dealer, future commission merchant or other third party identified in a Certificate or Instructions such accounts on such terms and conditions as the Trust and Custodian shall agree, and Custodian shall transfer to such account such Securities and money as the Trust may specify in a Certificate or Instructions.
 
2.   The Trust hereby represents and warrants, which representations and warranties shall be continuing and shall be deemed to be reaffirmed upon each delivery of a Certificate or each giving of Oral Instructions or Instructions by the Trust, that:
 
(a)   It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement, and to perform its obligations hereunder;
 
(b)   This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust, approved by a resolution of its board, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms, and there is no statute, regulation, rule, order or judgment binding on it, and no provision of its charter or by-laws, nor of any mortgage, indenture, credit agreement or other contract binding on it or affecting its property, which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement;
 
(c)   It is conducting its business in substantial compliance with all applicable laws and requirements, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory licenses, approvals and consents necessary to carry on its business as now conducted;
 
(d)   It will not use the services provided by Custodian hereunder in any manner that is, or will result in, a violation of any law, rule or regulation applicable to the Trust;
 
(e)   If the Trust’s foreign custody manager is not the Custodian or a Custodian Affiliate, the Trust’s board or its foreign custody manager, as defined in Rule 17f-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “‘40 Act”), has determined that use of each Subcustodian (including any Replacement Custodian) which Custodian or any Subcustodian is authorized to utilize in accordance with Section 1(a) of Article III hereof satisfies the applicable requirements of the ‘40 Act and Rule 17f-5 thereunder;
 
(f)   Prior to any settlement instructions being given to the Custodian requiring the services of a Foreign Depository, the Trust or its investment adviser has determined that the custody arrangements of each Foreign Depository provide reasonable safeguards against the custody risks associated with maintaining assets with such Foreign Depository within the meaning of Rule 17f-7 under the ‘40 Act;
 
(g)   It is fully informed of the protections and risks associated with various methods of transmitting Instructions and Oral Instructions and delivering Certificates to Custodian, shall, and shall cause each Authorized Person, to safeguard and treat with extreme care any user and authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys, understands that there may be more secure methods of transmitting or delivering the same than the methods selected by it, agrees that the security procedures (if any) to be followed in connection therewith provide a commercially reasonable degree of protection in light of its particular needs and circumstances, and acknowledges and agrees that Instructions need not be reviewed by Custodian, may conclusively be presumed by Custodian to have been given by person(s) duly authorized,  and may be acted upon as given;
 
 
 
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(h)   It shall manage its borrowings, including, without limitation, any advance or overdraft (including any day-light overdraft) in the Accounts, so that the aggregate of its total borrowings for each Series does not exceed the amount such Series is permitted to borrow under the ‘40 Act;
 
(i)   Its transmission or giving of, and Custodian acting upon and in reliance on, Certificates, Instructions, or Oral Instructions pursuant to this Agreement shall at all times comply with the ‘40 Act;
 
(j)   It shall impose and maintain restrictions on the destinations to which cash may be disbursed by Instructions to ensure that each disbursement is for a proper purpose; and
 
(k)   It has the right to make the pledge and grant the security interest and security entitlement to Custodian contained in Section 1 of Article V hereof, free of any right of redemption or prior claim of any other person or entity, such pledge and such grants shall have a first priority subject to no setoffs, counterclaims, or other liens or grants prior to or on a parity therewith, and it shall take such additional steps as Custodian may require to assure such priority.
 
3.   The Trust hereby covenants that it shall from time to time complete and execute and deliver to Custodian upon Custodian’s request a Form FR U-1 (or successor form) whenever the Trust borrows from Custodian any money to be used for the purchase or carrying of margin stock as defined in Federal Reserve Regulation U.
 
ARTICLE III
CUSTODY AND RELATED SERVICES
 
1.             (a) Subject to the terms hereof, the Trust hereby authorizes Custodian to hold any Securities received by it from time to time for the Trust’s account.  Custodian shall be entitled to utilize, subject to subsection (c) of this Section 1, Depositories, Subcustodians, and, subject to subsection (d) of this Section 1, Foreign Depositories, to the extent possible in connection with its performance hereunder.  Securities and cash held in a Depository or Foreign Depository will be held subject to the rules, terms and conditions of such entity. Securities and cash held in a Depository or Foreign Depository will be held subject to the rules, terms and conditions of such entity. Securities and cash held through Subcustodians shall be held subject to the terms and conditions of Custodian’s agreements with such Subcustodians.  Subcustodians may be authorized to hold Securities in Foreign Depositories in which such Subcustodians participate.  Unless otherwise required by local law or practice or a particular subcustodian agreement, Securities deposited with a Subcustodian, a Depositary or a Foreign Depository will be held in a commingled account, in the name of Custodian, holding only Securities held by Custodian as custodian for its customers.  Custodian shall identify on its books and records the Securities and cash belonging to the Trust, whether held directly or indirectly through Depositories, Foreign Depositories, or Subcustodians.  Custodian shall, directly or indirectly through Subcustodians, Depositories, or Foreign Depositories, endeavor, to the extent feasible, to hold Securities in the country or other jurisdiction in which the principal trading market for such Securities is located, where such Securities are to be presented for cancellation and/or payment and/or registration, or where such Securities are acquired.  Custodian at any time may cease utilizing any Subcustodian and/or may replace a Subcustodian with a different Subcustodian (the “Replacement Subcustodian”).  In the event Custodian selects a Replacement Subcustodian, Custodian shall not utilize such Replacement Subcustodian until after the Trust’s board or
 
 
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foreign custody manager has determined that utilization of such Replacement Subcustodian satisfies the requirements of the ‘40 Act and Rule 17f-5 thereunder.
 
(b)   In the event that the Trust desires to have the Custodian serve as foreign custody manager to a Fund, and the Custodian agrees to provide such services, the Trust and Custodian shall enter into a Foreign Custody Manager Agreement substantially in the form attached as Appendix II.
 
(c)   Unless applicable law otherwise requires or Custodian has received a Certificate or Instructions to the contrary, Custodian shall hold Securities indirectly through a Subcustodian only if (i) the Securities are not subject to any right, charge, security interest, lien or claim of any kind in favor of such Subcustodian or its creditors or operators, including a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy or similar authority, except for a claim of payment for the safe custody or administration of Securities on behalf of the Trust by such Subcustodian, and (ii) beneficial ownership of the Securities is freely transferable without the payment of money or value other than for safe custody or administration.
 
(d)   With respect to each Depository, Custodian (i) shall exercise due care in accordance with reasonable commercial standards in discharging its duties as a securities intermediary to obtain and thereafter maintain Securities or financial assets deposited or held in such Depository, and (ii) will provide, promptly upon request by the Trust, such reports as are available concerning the internal accounting controls and financial strength of the Depository.
 
(e)   With respect to each Foreign Depository, Custodian shall exercise reasonable care, prudence, and diligence (i) to provide the Trust with an analysis of the custody risks associated with maintaining assets with the Foreign Depository in accordance with Rule 17f-7(a)(1)(i)(A) of the ’40 Act, and (ii) to monitor such custody risks on a continuing basis and promptly notify the Trust of any material change in such risks in accordance with Rule 17f-7(a)(1)(i)(B) of the ’40 Act.  The Custodian shall only utilize a Foreign Depository that it has determined satisfies the requirements of Rule 17f 7(b)(1) as an “Eligible Securities Depository” (as defined in Rule 17f 7(b)(1)) and has provided the risk analysis required in (i) of this paragraph (e).  In such a manner as Custodian deems reasonable, Custodian shall give the Trust prompt notice of any material change known to Custodian, that would adversely affect Custodian’s determination that an entity is an Eligible Securities Depository. The Trust acknowledges and agrees that such analysis and monitoring shall be made on the basis of, and limited by, information gathered from Subcustodians or through publicly available information otherwise obtained by Custodian, and shall not include any evaluation of Country Risks.  As used herein the term “Country Risks” shall mean with respect to any Foreign Depository:  (a) the financial infrastructure of the country in which it is organized, (b) such country’s prevailing custody and settlement practices, (c) nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions, (d) such country’s regulation of the banking or securities industry, (e) currency controls, restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations, and (f) market conditions which affect the order execution of securities transactions or affect the value of securities.
 
2.   Custodian shall furnish the Trust with an advice of daily transactions (including a confirmation of each transfer of Securities) and a monthly summary of all transfers to or from the Accounts.
 
3.   With respect to all Securities held hereunder, Custodian shall, unless otherwise instructed to the contrary:
 
 
 
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(a)   Receive all income and other payments and advise the Trust as promptly as practicable of any such amounts due but not paid;
 
(b)   Present for payment and receive the amount paid upon all Securities which may mature and advise the Trust as promptly as practicable of any such amounts due but not paid;
 
(c)   Forward to the Trust copies of all information or documents that it may actually receive from an issuer of Securities which, in the opinion of Custodian, are intended for the beneficial owner of Securities;
 
(d)   Execute, as custodian, any certificates of ownership, affidavits, declarations or other certificates under any tax laws now or hereafter in effect in connection with the collection of bond and note coupons;
 
(e)   Hold directly or through a Depository, a Foreign Depository, or a Subcustodian all rights and similar Securities issued with respect to any Securities credited to an Account hereunder; and
 
(f)   Endorse for collection checks, drafts or other negotiable instruments.
 
4.             (a) Custodian shall notify the Trust of rights or discretionary actions with respect to Securities held hereunder, and of the date or dates by when such rights must be exercised or such action must be taken, provided that Custodian has actually received, from the issuer or the relevant Depository (with respect to Securities issued in the United States) or from the relevant Subcustodian, Foreign Depository, or a nationally or internationally recognized bond or corporate action service to which Custodian subscribes, timely notice of such rights or discretionary corporate action or of the date or dates such rights must be exercised or such action must be taken.  Absent actual receipt of such notice, Custodian shall have no liability for failing to so notify the Trust.
 
(b)   Whenever Securities (including, but not limited to, warrants, options, tenders, options to tender or non-mandatory puts or calls) confer discretionary rights on the Trust or provide for discretionary action or alternative courses of action by the Trust, the Trust shall be responsible for making any decisions relating thereto and for directing Custodian to act.  In order for Custodian to act, it must receive the Trust’s Certificate or Instructions at Custodian’s offices, addressed as Custodian may from time to time request, not later than noon (New York time) at least two (2) Business Days prior to the last scheduled date to act with respect to such Securities (or such earlier date or time as Custodian may specify to the Trust).  Absent Custodian’s timely receipt of such Certificate or Instructions, Custodian shall not be liable for failure to take any action relating to or to exercise any rights conferred by such Securities.
 
5.   All voting rights with respect to Securities, however registered, shall be exercised by the Trust or its designee.  Custodian will make available to the Trust proxy voting services upon the request of, and for the jurisdictions selected by, the Trust in accordance with terms and conditions to be mutually agreed upon by Custodian and the Trust.
 
6.   Custodian shall promptly advise the Trust upon Custodian’s actual receipt of notification of the partial redemption, partial payment or other action affecting less than all Securities of the relevant class.  If Custodian, any Subcustodian, any Depository, or any Foreign Depository holds any Securities in which the Trust has an interest as part of a fungible mass,
 
 
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Custodian, such Subcustodian, Depository, or Foreign Depository may select the Securities to participate in such partial redemption, partial payment or other action in any non-discriminatory manner that it customarily uses to make such selection.
 
7.   Custodian shall not under any circumstances accept bearer interest coupons which have been stripped from United States federal, state or local government or agency securities unless explicitly agreed to by Custodian in writing.
 
8.   The Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, shall be liable for all taxes, assessments, duties and other governmental charges, including any interest or penalty with respect thereto (“Taxes”), with respect to any cash or Securities held on behalf of the Trust or any transaction related thereto.  The Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, shall indemnify Custodian and each Subcustodian for the amount of any Tax that Custodian, any such Subcustodian or any other withholding agent is required under applicable laws (whether by assessment or otherwise) to pay on behalf of, or in respect of income earned by or payments or distributions made to or for the account of the Trust (including any payment of Tax required by reason of an earlier failure to withhold).  Custodian shall, or shall instruct the applicable Subcustodian or other withholding agent to, withhold the amount of any Tax which is required to be withheld under applicable law upon collection of any dividend, interest or other distribution made with respect to any Security and any proceeds or income from the sale, loan or other transfer of any Security.  In the event that Custodian or any Subcustodian is required under applicable law to pay any Tax on behalf of the Trust, Custodian is hereby authorized to withdraw cash from any cash account in the amount required to pay such Tax and to use such cash, or to remit such cash to the appropriate Subcustodian or other withholding agent, for the timely payment of such Tax in the manner required by applicable law.  If the aggregate amount of cash in all cash accounts is not sufficient to pay such Tax, Custodian shall promptly notify the Trust of the additional amount of cash (in the appropriate currency) required, and the Trust shall directly deposit such additional amount in the appropriate cash account promptly after receipt of such notice, for use by Custodian as specified herein.  In the event that Custodian reasonably believes that Trust is eligible, pursuant to applicable law or to the provisions of any tax treaty, for a reduced rate of, or exemption from, any Tax which is otherwise required to be withheld or paid on behalf of the Trust under any applicable law, Custodian shall, or shall instruct the applicable Subcustodian or withholding agent to, (i) provide the Trust with required forms to apply for such reduction or exemption, if any, and, if such service is provided by the applicable Subcustodian, request such Subcustodian continually to monitor the availability of any reduction or exemption (and the Custodian shall provide to the Trust from time to time upon request a list of the Subcustodians providing such monitoring service), and (ii) either withhold or pay such Tax at such reduced rate or refrain from withholding or paying such Tax, as appropriate; provided that Custodian shall have received from the Trust all documentary evidence of residence or other qualification for such reduced rate or exemption required to be received under such applicable law or treaty.  In the event that Custodian reasonably believes that a reduced rate of, or exemption from, any Tax is obtainable only by means of an application for the Trust, Custodian and the applicable Subcustodian shall have no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of any forms or documentation provided by the Trust to Custodian hereunder.  The Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Custodian and each Subcustodian in respect of any liability arising from any underwithholding or underpayment of any Tax which results from the inaccuracy or invalidity of any such forms or other documentation, and such obligation to indemnify shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, its successors and assigns notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement.
 
 
 
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9.              (a) For the purpose of settling Securities and foreign exchange transactions, the Trust shall provide Custodian with sufficient immediately available funds for all transactions by such time and date as conditions in the relevant market dictate. As used herein, “sufficient immediately available funds” shall mean either (i) sufficient cash denominated in U.S. dollars to purchase the necessary foreign currency, or (ii) sufficient applicable foreign currency, to settle the transaction.  Custodian shall provide the Trust with immediately available Trusts each day which result from the actual settlement of all sale transactions, based upon advices received by Custodian from Subcustodians, Depositories, and Foreign Depositories.  Such funds shall be in U.S. dollars or such other currency as the Trust may specify to Custodian.
 
(b)   Any foreign exchange transaction effected by Custodian in connection with this Agreement may be entered with Custodian or a Custodian Affiliate acting as principal or otherwise through customary banking channels.  The Trust may issue a standing Certificate or Instructions with respect to foreign exchange transactions, but Custodian may establish rules or limitations concerning any foreign exchange facility made available to the Trust.  The Trust shall bear all risks of investing in Securities or holding cash denominated in a foreign currency.
 
(c)   To the extent that Custodian has agreed to provide pricing or other information services in connection with this Agreement, Custodian is authorized to utilize any vendor (including brokers and dealers of Securities) reasonably believed by Custodian to be reliable to provide such information.  The Trust understands that certain pricing information with respect to complex financial instruments ( e.g. , derivatives) may be based on calculated amounts rather than actual market transactions and may not reflect actual market values, and that the variance between such calculated amounts and actual market values may or may not be material. Where vendors do not provide information for particular Securities or other property, an Authorized Person may advise Custodian in a Certificate regarding the fair market value of, or provide other information with respect to, such Securities or property as determined by it in good faith.  Custodian shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense incurred as a result of errors or omissions with respect to any pricing or other information utilized by Custodian hereunder.
 
10.   Custodian shall upon reasonable request promptly send to the Trust (a) any reports it receives from a Depository on such Depository’s system of internal accounting control, and (b) such reports on its own system of internal accounting control as the Trust may reasonably request from time to time.
 
11.   Until such time as Custodian receives a certificate to the contrary with respect to a particular Security, Custodian may release the identity of the Trust to an issuer which requests such information pursuant to the Shareholder Communications Act of 1985 for the specific purpose of direct communications between such issuer and shareholder.
 
ARTICLE IV
PURCHASE AND SALE OF SECURITIES;
CREDITS TO ACCOUNT
 
1.   Promptly after each purchase or sale of Securities by the Trust, the Trust shall deliver to Custodian a Certificate or Instructions, or with respect to a purchase or sale of a Security generally required to be settled on the same day the purchase or sale is made, Oral Instructions specifying all information Custodian may reasonably request to settle such purchase or sale.  Custodian shall account for all purchases and sales of Securities on the actual settlement date unless otherwise agreed by Custodian.
 
 
 
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2.   The Trust understands that when Custodian is instructed to deliver Securities against payment, delivery of such Securities and receipt of payment therefor may not be completed simultaneously.  Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, settlements, payments and deliveries of Securities may be effected by Custodian or any Subcustodian in accordance with the customary or established securities trading or securities processing practices and procedures in the jurisdiction in which the transaction occurs, including, without limitation, delivery to a purchaser or dealer therefor (or agent) against receipt with the expectation of receiving later payment for such Securities.  The Trust assumes full responsibility for all risks, including, without limitation, credit risks, involved in connection with such deliveries of Securities.
 
3.   Custodian may, as a matter of bookkeeping convenience or by separate agreement with the Trust, credit the Account with the proceeds from the sale, redemption or other disposition of Securities or interest, dividends or other distributions payable on Securities prior to its actual receipt of final payment therefor.  All such credits shall be conditional until Custodian’s actual receipt of final payment and may be reversed by Custodian to the extent that final payment is not received.  Payment with respect to a transaction will not be “final” until Custodian shall have received immediately available funds which under applicable local law, rule and/or practice are irreversible and not subject to any security interest, levy or other encumbrance, and which are specifically applicable to such transaction.
 
ARTICLE V
OVERDRAFTS OR INDEBTEDNESS
 
1.   If Custodian should in its sole discretion advance funds on behalf of any Series which results in an overdraft (including, without limitation, any day-light overdraft) because the money held by Custodian in an Account for such Series shall be insufficient to pay the total amount payable upon a purchase of Securities specifically allocated to such Series, as set forth in a Certificate, Instructions or Oral Instructions, or if an overdraft arises in the separate account of a Series for some other reason, including, without limitation, because of a reversal of a conditional credit or the purchase of any currency, or if the Trust is for any other reason indebted to Custodian with respect to a Series, including any indebtedness to The Bank of New York Mellon under the Trust’s Cash Management and Related Services Agreement (except a borrowing for investment or for temporary or emergency purposes using Securities as collateral pursuant to a separate agreement and subject to the provisions of Section 2 of this Article), such overdraft or indebtedness shall be deemed to be a loan made by Custodian to the Trust for such Series payable on demand and shall bear interest from the date incurred at a rate per annum ordinarily charged by Custodian to its institutional customers, as such rate may be adjusted from time to time.  In addition, the Trust hereby agrees that Custodian shall to the maximum extent permitted by law have a continuing lien, security interest, and security entitlement in and to any property, including, without limitation, any investment property or any financial asset, of such Series at any time held by Custodian for the benefit of such Series or in which such Series may have an interest which is then in Custodian’s possession or control or in possession or control of any third party acting in Custodian’s behalf.  The Trust authorizes Custodian, in its sole discretion, at any time to charge any such overdraft or indebtedness together with interest due thereon against any balance of account standing to such Series’ credit on Custodian’s books.
 
2.   If the Trust borrows money from any bank (including Custodian if the borrowing is pursuant to a separate agreement) for investment or for temporary or emergency purposes using Securities held by Custodian hereunder as collateral for such borrowings, the Trust shall
 
 
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deliver to Custodian a Certificate specifying with respect to each such borrowing:  (a) the Series to which such borrowing relates; (b) the name of the bank, (c) the amount of the borrowing, (d) the time and date, if known, on which the loan is to be entered into, (e) the total amount payable to the Trust on the borrowing date, (f) the Securities to be delivered as collateral for such loan, including the name of the issuer, the title and the number of shares or the principal amount of any particular Securities, and (g) a statement specifying whether such loan is for investment purposes or for temporary or emergency purposes and that such loan is in conformance with the ‘40 Act and the Trust’s prospectus.  Custodian shall deliver on the borrowing date specified in a Certificate the specified collateral against payment by the lending bank of the total amount of the loan payable, provided that the same conforms to the total amount payable as set forth in the Certificate.   Custodian may, at the option of the lending bank, keep such collateral in its possession, but such collateral shall be subject to all rights therein given the lending bank by virtue of any promissory note or loan agreement.  Custodian shall deliver such Securities as additional collateral as may be specified in a Certificate to collateralize further any transaction described in this Section.  The Trust shall cause all Securities released from collateral status to be returned directly to Custodian, and Custodian shall receive from time to time such return of collateral as may be tendered to it.   In the event that the Trust fails to specify in a Certificate the Series, the name of the issuer, the title and number of shares or the principal amount of any particular Securities to be delivered as collateral by Custodian, Custodian shall not be under any obligation to deliver any Securities.
 
ARTICLE VI
SALE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES
 
1.   Whenever the Trust shall sell any shares issued by the Trust (“Shares”) it shall deliver to Custodian a Certificate or Instructions, or cause the Trust’s Transfer Agent to provide instructions, specifying the amount of money, if any, and the particular Securities and the amount of each Security to be received by Custodian for the sale of such Shares and specifically allocated to an Account for such Series. Upon receipt of such money, if any, and such Securities, Custodian shall credit the same to an Account in the name of the Series for which such money, if any, and such Securities are received.
 
2.    Whenever the Trust desires Custodian to make a payment, if any, and a delivery of Securities out of the money and Securities held by Custodian hereunder in connection with a redemption of any Shares, it shall furnish to Custodian a Certificate or Instructions, or cause the Trust’s Transfer Agent to provide instructions specifying the total amount of money, if any, to be paid, and the particular Securities and amount of each Security to be delivered, for the redemption of such Shares. Custodian shall make any such payment and such delivery of Shares, as directed by a Certificate or Instructions or instructions of the Trust’s transfer agent, out of the money and Securities held in an Account of the appropriate Series.
 
ARTICLE VII
PAYMENT OF DIVIDENDS OR DISTRIBUTIONS
 
1.   Whenever the Trust shall determine to pay a dividend or distribution on Shares it shall furnish to Custodian Instructions or a Certificate setting forth with respect to the Series specified therein the date of the declaration of such dividend or distribution, the total amount payable, and the payment date.
 
 
 
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2.   Upon the payment date specified in such Instructions or Certificate, Custodian shall pay out of the money held for the account of such Series the total amount payable to the dividend agent of the Trust specified therein.
 
ARTICLE VIII
CONCERNING CUSTODIAN
 
1.             (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, Custodian shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees (collectively, “Losses”), incurred by or asserted against the Trust, except those Losses arising out of Custodian’s own negligence or willful misconduct.  Custodian shall have no liability whatsoever for the action or inaction of any Depositories or of any Foreign Depositories, except in each case to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian’s failure to fulfill its duties hereunder.  With respect to any Losses incurred by the Trust as a result of the acts or any failures to act by any Subcustodian (other than a Custodian Affiliate) Depository or Foreign Depository, Custodian shall take appropriate action to recover such Losses from such Subcustodian Depository or Foreign Depository; and Custodian’s sole responsibility and liability to the Trust shall be limited to amounts so received from such Subcustodian Depository or Foreign Depository (exclusive of costs and expenses incurred by Custodian).  In no event shall Custodian be liable to the Trust or any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits or loss of business, arising in connection with this Agreement, nor shall Custodian or any Subcustodian be liable:  ( i ) for acting in accordance with any Certificate or Oral Instructions  actually received by Custodian and reasonably believed by Custodian to be given by an Authorized Person; ( ii ) for acting in accordance with Instructions without reviewing the same; ( iii ) for conclusively presuming that all Instructions are given only by person(s) duly authorized; ( iv ) for conclusively presuming that all disbursements of cash directed by the Trust, whether by a Certificate, an Oral Instruction, or an Instruction, are in accordance with Section 2(i) and (j) of Article II hereof; ( v ) for holding property in any particular country, including, but not limited to, Losses resulting from nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; regulation of the banking or securities industry; exchange or currency controls or restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; availability of cash or Securities or market conditions which prevent the transfer of property or execution of Securities transactions or affect the value of property; ( vi ) for any Losses due to forces beyond the control of Custodian, including without limitation strikes, work stoppages, acts of war or terrorism, insurrection, revolution, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, or interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; (vii) for the insolvency of any Subcustodian (other than a Custodian Affiliate), any Depository, or, except to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian’s failure to fulfill its duties hereunder, any Foreign Depository; or ( viii ) for any Losses arising from the applicability of any law or regulation now or hereafter in effect, or from the occurrence of any event, including, without limitation, implementation or adoption of any rules or procedures of a Foreign Depository, which may affect, limit, prevent or impose costs or burdens on, the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any currency or Composite Currency Unit in any country or on the transfer of any Securities, and in no event shall Custodian be obligated to substitute another currency for a currency (including a currency that is a component of a Composite Currency Unit) whose transferability, convertibility or availability has been affected, limited, or prevented by such law, regulation or event, and to the extent that any such law, regulation or event imposes a cost or charge upon Custodian in relation to the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any cash currency or Composite Currency Unit, such cost or charge shall be for the account of the Trust, and Custodian may treat any account denominated in an affected currency as a group of separate accounts denominated in the relevant component currencies.
 
 
 
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(b)   Custodian may enter into subcontracts, agreements and understandings with any Custodian Affiliate, whenever and on such terms and conditions as it deems necessary or appropriate to perform its services hereunder.  No such subcontract, agreement or understanding shall discharge Custodian from its obligations hereunder.
 
(c)   The Trust on behalf of the applicable Series agrees to indemnify Custodian and hold Custodian harmless from and against any and all Losses sustained or incurred by or asserted against Custodian by reason of or as a result of any action or inaction, or arising out of Custodian’s performance hereunder, including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel incurred by Custodian in a successful defense of claims by the Trust; provided however, that the Trust shall not indemnify Custodian for those Losses arising out of Custodian’s own negligence or willful misconduct.  This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of the Trust, on behalf of the applicable Series, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement.
 
2.   Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Custodian shall be under no obligation to inquire into, and shall not be liable for:
 
(a)   Any Losses incurred by the Trust or any other person as a result of the receipt or acceptance of fraudulent, forged or invalid Securities, or Securities which are otherwise not freely transferable or deliverable without encumbrance in any relevant market;
 
(b)   The validity of the issue of any Securities purchased, sold, or written by or for the Trust, the legality of the purchase, sale or writing thereof, or the propriety of the amount paid or received therefor;
 
(c)   The legality of the sale or redemption of any Shares, or the propriety of the amount to be received or paid therefor;
 
(d)   The legality of the declaration or payment of any dividend or distribution by the Trust;
 
(e)   The legality of any borrowing by the Trust;
 
(f)   The legality of any loan of portfolio Securities, nor shall Custodian be under any duty or obligation to see to it that any cash or collateral delivered to it by a broker, dealer or financial institution or held by it at any time as a result of such loan of portfolio Securities is adequate security for the Trust against any loss it might sustain as a result of such loan, which duty or obligation shall be the sole responsibility of the Trust.  In addition, Custodian shall be under no duty or obligation to see that any broker, dealer or financial institution to which portfolio Securities of the Trust are lent makes payment to it of any dividends or interest which are payable to or for the account of the Trust during the period of such loan or at the termination of such loan, provided, however that Custodian shall promptly notify the Trust in the event that such dividends or interest are not paid and received when due;
 
(g)   The sufficiency or value of any amounts of money and/or Securities held in any Special Account in connection with transactions by the Trust; whether any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member makes payment to the Trust of any variation margin payment or similar payment which the Trust may be entitled to receive from such broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member, or whether any payment received by Custodian from any broker, dealer, futures commission merchant or clearing member is the

 
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amount the Trust is entitled to receive, or to notify the Trust of Custodian’s receipt or non-receipt of any such payment; or
 
(h)   Whether any Securities at any time delivered to, or held by it or by any Subcustodian, for the account of the Trust and specifically allocated to a Series are such as properly may be held by the Trust or such Series under the provisions of its then current prospectus and statement of additional information, or to ascertain whether any transactions by the Trust, whether or not involving Custodian, are such transactions as may properly be engaged in by the Trust.
 
3.   Custodian may, with respect to questions of law specifically regarding an Account, obtain the advice of counsel and shall be fully protected with respect to anything done or omitted by it in good faith in conformity with such advice.
 
4.   Custodian shall be under no obligation to take action to collect any amount payable on Securities in default, or if payment is refused after due demand and presentment.
 
5.   Custodian shall have no duty or responsibility to inquire into, make recommendations, supervise, or determine the suitability of any transactions affecting any Account.
 
6.   The Trust shall pay to Custodian the fees and charges as may be specifically agreed upon from time to time and such other fees and charges at Custodian’s standard rates for such services as may be applicable.  The Trust shall reimburse Custodian for all costs associated with the conversion of the Trust’s Securities hereunder and the transfer of Securities and records kept in connection with this Agreement.  The Trust shall also reimburse Custodian for out-of-pocket expenses which are a normal incident of the services provided hereunder.
 
7.   Custodian has the right to debit any cash account for any amount payable by the Trust in connection with any and all obligations of the Trust to Custodian.  In addition to the rights of Custodian under applicable law and other agreements, at any time when the Trust shall not have honored any of its obligations to Custodian, Custodian shall have the right without notice to the Trust to retain or set-off, against such obligations of the Trust, any Securities or cash Custodian or a Custodian Affiliate may directly or indirectly hold for the account of the Trust, and any obligations (whether matured or unmatured) that Custodian or a Custodian Affiliate may have to the Trust in any currency or Composite Currency Unit.  Any such asset of, or obligation to, the Trust may be transferred to Custodian and any Custodian Affiliate in order to effect the above rights.
 
8.   The Trust agrees to forward to Custodian a Certificate or Instructions confirming Oral Instructions by the close of business of the same day that such Oral Instructions are given to Custodian.  The Trust agrees that the fact that such confirming Certificate or Instructions are not received or that a contrary Certificate or contrary Instructions are received by Custodian shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of transactions authorized by such Oral Instructions and effected by Custodian.  If the Trust elects to transmit Instructions through an on-line communications system offered by Custodian, the Trust’s use thereof shall be subject to the Terms and Conditions attached as Appendix I hereto.  If Custodian receives Instructions which appear on their face to have been transmitted by an Authorized Person via (i) computer facsimile, email, the Internet or other insecure electronic method, or (ii) secure electronic transmission containing applicable authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys, the Trust understands and agrees that Custodian cannot determine the identity of the actual

 
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sender of such Instructions and that Custodian shall conclusively presume that such Written Instructions have been sent by an Authorized Person, and the Trust shall be responsible for ensuring that only Authorized Persons transmit such Instructions to Custodian.  If the Trust elects (with Custodian’s prior consent) to transmit Instructions through an on-line communications service owned or operated by a third party, the Trust agrees that Custodian shall not be responsible or liable for the reliability or availability of any such service.
 
9.   The books and records pertaining to the Trust which are in possession of Custodian shall be the property of the Trust.  Such books and records shall be prepared and maintained as required by the ‘40 Act and the rules thereunder. The Trust, or its authorized representatives, shall have access to such books and records during Custodian’s normal business hours.  Upon the reasonable request of the Trust, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by Custodian to the Trust or its authorized representative.  Upon the reasonable request of the Trust, Custodian shall provide in hard copy or on computer disc any records included in any such delivery which are maintained by Custodian on a computer disc, or are similarly maintained.
 
10.   It is understood that Custodian is authorized to supply any information regarding the Accounts which is required by any law, regulation or rule now or hereafter in effect.  The Custodian shall provide the Trust with any report obtained by the Custodian on the system of internal accounting control of a Depository, and with such reports on its own system of internal accounting control as the Trust may reasonably request from time to time.
 
11.   Custodian shall have no duties or responsibilities whatsoever except such duties and responsibilities as are specifically set forth in this Agreement, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied against Custodian in connection with this Agreement.
 
ARTICLE IX
TERMINATION
 
1.   Either of the parties hereto may terminate this Agreement by giving to the other party a notice in writing specifying the date of such termination, which shall be not less than ninety (90) days after the date of giving of such notice.  In the event such notice is given by the Trust, it shall be accompanied by a copy of a resolution of the board of the Trust, certified by the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, electing to terminate this Agreement and designating a successor custodian or custodians, each of which shall be a bank or trust company having not less than $2,000,000 aggregate capital, surplus and undivided profits.  In the event such notice is given by Custodian, the Trust shall, on or before the termination date, deliver to Custodian a copy of a resolution of the board of the Trust, certified by the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, designating a successor custodian or custodians.  In the absence of such designation by the Trust, Custodian may designate a successor custodian which shall be a bank or trust company having not less than $2,000,000 aggregate capital, surplus and undivided profits.  Upon the date set forth in such notice this Agreement shall terminate, and Custodian shall upon receipt of a notice of acceptance by the successor custodian on that date deliver directly to the successor custodian all Securities and money then owned by the Trust and held by it as Custodian, after deducting all fees, expenses and other amounts for the payment or reimbursement of which it shall then be entitled.
 
2.   If a successor custodian is not designated by the Trust or Custodian in accordance with the preceding Section, the Trust shall upon the date specified in the notice of termination of this Agreement and upon the delivery by Custodian of all Securities (other than Securities which

 
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cannot be delivered to the Trust) and money then owned by the Trust be deemed to be its own custodian and Custodian shall thereby be relieved of all duties and responsibilities pursuant to this Agreement, other than the duty with respect to Securities which cannot be delivered to the Trust to hold such Securities hereunder in accordance with this Agreement.
 
ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS
 
1.   (a) Each party shall keep confidential any information relating to the other party’s business (“Confidential Information”).  Confidential Information shall include (a) any data or information that is competitively sensitive material, and not generally known to the public, including, but not limited to, information about product plans, marketing strategies, finances, operations, customer relationships, customer profiles, customer lists, sales estimates, business plans, and internal performance results relating to the past, present or future business activities of a Trust or Custodian and their respective subsidiaries and affiliated companies; (b) any scientific or technical information, design, process, procedure, formula, or improvement that is commercially valuable and secret in the sense that its confidentiality affords a Trust or Custodian a competitive advantage over its competitors; (c) all confidential or proprietary concepts, documentation, reports, data, specifications, computer software, source code, object code, flow charts, databases, inventions, know how, and trade secrets, whether or not patentable or copyrightable; and (d) anything designated as confidential.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, information shall not be Confidential Information and shall not be subject to such confidentiality obligations if it: (a) is already known to the receiving party at the time it is obtained; (b) is or becomes publicly known or available through no wrongful act of the receiving party; (c) is rightfully received from a third party who, to the best of the receiving party’s knowledge, is not under a duty of confidentiality; (d) is released by the protected party to a third party without restriction; (e) is requested or required to be disclosed by the receiving party pursuant to a court order, subpoena, governmental or regulatory agency request or law; (f) is relevant to the defense of any claim or cause of action asserted against the receiving party; (g) is Trust information provided by Custodian in connection with an independent third party compliance or other review; (h) is released in connection with the provision of services under this Agreement; or (i) has been or is independently developed or obtained by the receiving party.  The provisions of this Section 1 of Article X shall survive termination of this Agreement for a period of one (1) year after such termination.
 
2.   The Trust agrees to furnish to Custodian a new Certificate of Authorized Persons in the event of any change in the then present Authorized Persons.  Until such new Certificate is received, Custodian shall be fully protected in acting upon Certificates or Oral Instructions of such present Authorized Persons.
 
3.   Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to Custodian, shall be sufficiently given if addressed to Custodian and received by it at its offices at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286, or at such other place as Custodian may from time to time designate in writing.
 
4.   Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to the Trust shall be sufficiently given if addressed to the Trust and received by it at its offices at 207 Reber Street, Wheaton, IL 60187, Attention: Secretary, or at such other place as the Trust may from time to time designate in writing.
 
 
 
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5.   Each and every right granted to either party hereunder or under any other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, or allowed it by law or equity, shall be cumulative and may be exercised from time to time.  No failure on the part of either party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise by either party of any right preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.
 
6.   In case any provision in or obligation under this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any exclusive jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected thereby.  This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by a written agreement executed by both parties, except that any amendment to the Schedule I hereto need be signed only by the Trust and any amendment to Appendix I hereto need be signed only by Custodian.  This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by either party without the written consent of the other.
 
7.   This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.  The Trust and Custodian hereby consent to the jurisdiction of a state or federal court situated in New York City, New York in connection with any dispute arising hereunder.  The Trust hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that such proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.  The Trust and Custodian each hereby irrevocably waives any and all rights to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
 
8.   The Trust hereby acknowledges that Custodian is subject to federal laws, including the Customer Identification Program (CIP) requirements under the USA PATRIOT Act and its implementing regulations, pursuant to which Custodian must obtain, verify and record information that allows Custodian to identify the Trust.  Accordingly, prior to opening an Account hereunder Custodian will ask the Trust to provide certain information including, but not limited to, the Trust’s name, physical address, tax identification number and other information that will help Custodian to identify and verify the Trust’s identity such as organizational documents, certificate of good standing, license to do business, or other pertinent identifying information.  The Trust agrees that Custodian cannot open an Account hereunder unless and until Custodian verifies the Trust’s identity in accordance with its CIP.
 
9.   The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation is a global financial organization that provides services to clients through its affiliates and subsidiaries in multiple jurisdictions (the “BNY Mellon Group”).  The BNY Mellon Group may centralize functions including audit, accounting, risk, legal, compliance, sales, administration, product communication, relationship management, storage, compilation and analysis of customer-related data, and other functions (the “Centralized Functions”) in one or more affiliates, subsidiaries and third-party service providers. Solely in connection with the Centralized Functions, (i) the Trust consents to the disclosure of and authorizes Custodian to disclose information regarding the Trust (“Customer-Related Data”) to the BNY Mellon Group and to its third-party service providers who are subject to confidentiality obligations with respect to such information and (ii) Custodian may store the names and business contact information of the Trust’s employees and representatives on the systems or in the records of the BNY Mellon Group or its service providers, provided that such information is used without any attribution, either directly or indirectly by implication. The BNY
 
 
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Mellon Group may aggregate Customer-Related Data with other data collected and/or calculated by the BNY Mellon Group, and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary the BNY Mellon Group will own all such aggregated data, provided that the BNY Mellon Group shall not distribute the aggregated data in a format that identifies Customer-Related Data with a particular customer.  The Trust confirms that it is authorized to consent to the foregoing.
 
10.   (a) It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that the obligations of the Trust (and Series thereof) hereunder shall not be binding upon any of the shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees or agents of the Trust (and Funds thereof), personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Trust and the applicable Fund as provided in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.  The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been authorized by the Trustees of the Trust and signed by an officer of the Trust, acting as such, and neither such authorization by such Trustees nor such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Trust and the applicable Series as provided in the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.
 
(b)           This Agreement is an agreement entered into between the Custodian and the Trust with respect to each Series.  With respect to any obligation of the Trust on behalf of any Series arising out of this Agreement, the Custodian shall look for payment of such obligation solely to the assets of the Series to which such obligation relates with the same effect as if the Custodian had separately contracted with the Series by separate written instrument with respect to each Series.
 
(c)           As used herein, the “applicable Series” shall be each Series in respect of which any amount due the Custodian arises, and if any amount due the Custodian arises in respect of more than one Series, the same shall be allocated by the Custodian among such Series in accordance with Section 7(b) of this Article.  Any amounts due the Custodian which may not be allocated in accordance with the preceding sentence shall constitute General Liabilities as defined in the Series’ Declaration of Trust and allocated by the Trust and paid in accordance with the provisions thereof.
 
 
11.   This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall, together, constitute only one instrument.
 
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Trust and Custodian have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers, thereunto duly authorized, as of the latest date set forth below.
 
 
 
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ELKHORN ETF TRUST
 
 
By:   _____________________                                                             
 
Title:
 
Tax Identification No:
 
Date
 
 
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
 
 
By:  _____________________                                                              
 
Title:
 
Date:
 
 
 
 
-18-

 
 
SCHEDULE I
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZED PERSONS
(The Trust - Oral and Written Instructions)
 
The undersigned hereby certifies that he/she is the duly elected and acting ________________________ of __________________________ (the “Trust”), and further certifies that the following officers or employees of the Trust have been duly authorized in conformity with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws to deliver Certificates and Oral Instructions to The Bank of New York Mellon (“Custodian”) pursuant to the Custody Agreement between the Trust and Custodian dated _______________, 20__ and that the signatures appearing opposite their names are true and correct:
 
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
______________________
Name
 
 
______________________
Title
 
______________________
Signature
 
 
This certificate supersedes any certificate of Authorized Persons you may currently have on file.
 
[seal] By:    
   
Title:
 
Date:
     
 
 
 
 

 
 
SCHEDULE II
 
SERIES
 
 
 
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
APPENDIX I
ELECTRONIC SERVICES TERMS AND CONDITIONS
 
These Electronic Access Terms and Conditions (the “ Terms and Conditions ”) set forth the terms and conditions under which The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or joint ventures (collectively, “ BNY Mellon ”) will provide the entities and its (their) affiliates listed on Schedule A (“ You ” and “ Your ”) with access to and use of BNY Mellon’s electronic information delivery site known as “BNY Mellon Connect” and/or other BNY Mellon-designated access portals (“ Electronic Access ”).  Access to and use of Electronic Access by You is contingent upon and is in consideration for Your compliance with the terms and conditions set forth below.  Electronic Access includes access to BNY Mellon web sites accessible via BNY Mellon Connect and/or other BNY Mellon-designated access portals (“ Sites ”), pursuant to which You are able to access products and services provided by BNY Mellon as well as data regarding Your accounts.  You may amend Schedule A by delivering a revised version to BNY Mellon.
 
Any particular product or service accessed by You through Electronic Access may be subject to a separate written agreement between You and BNY Mellon with respect to such products and services (each a “ Services Agreement ”).  In addition, terms and conditions and restrictions with respect to any particular product or service accessed through Electronic Access (such as privacy and internet security matters), together with any disclaimers related to the specific products or services, may be set forth on the Sites (hereinafter referred to as “ Terms of Use ”) and are applicable to such products and services.  You agree to the Terms and Conditions.  By any of Your Users accessing the Sites, and the products and services available through Electronic Access, You agree to any Terms of Use and acknowledge and accept any disclaimers and disclosures included on the Sites and the restrictions concerning the use of proprietary data provided by Information Providers (as defined below) that are posted on the Data Terms Web Site (as defined below).  For the avoidance of doubt, the execution of these Terms and Conditions will not alter or amend or otherwise affect any Services Agreement whether such Services Agreement is executed prior to or after the execution of these Terms and Conditions.
 
1.  
Access Administration :
a.  
To facilitate access to Electronic Access, You will furnish BNY Mellon with a written list of the names, and the extent of authority or level of access, of persons You are authorizing to access the Sites, products and services and to use the Electronic Access (“ Authorized Users ”) on a read-only basis.  In addition, You may also designate Authorized Users who will have authority to enter transactions and provide instructions to BNY Mellon that cause a change in or have an impact on assets held by BNY Mellon for Your accounts (“ Authorized Transactional Users ”).  Where appropriate, Authorized Users and Authorized Transactional Users are collectively referred to herein as “ Users .”  If You wish to allow any third party (such as an investment manager, consultant or third party service provider) or any employee of a third party to have access to Your account information through Electronic Access and be included as a “User” under these Terms and Conditions, You may designate a third party or employee of a third party as an Authorized User or Authorized Transactional User under these Terms and Conditions and any such third party or employee of a third party so designated by You (and, if a third party is so designated, any employee of such third party designated by such third party) will be included within the definition of Authorized User, Authorized Transactional User, and User as appropriate.
b.  
Upon BNY Mellon’s approval of Users (which approval will not be unreasonably withheld), BNY Mellon will send You a user-id, temporary password and, where applicable, a security identification device for each User.  You will be responsible for providing to Users the user-ids, temporary passwords and, where applicable, secure identification devices.  You will ensure that any User receiving a secure identification device returns such device immediately following the
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
termination of the User’s authorization to access the products and services for which the secure identification device was provided to such User.  You are solely responsible for Users’ access to Electronic Access, and You and Users are solely responsible for the confidentiality of the user-ids and passwords and secure identification devices that are provided to them and will remain responsible for each secure identification device until it is returned to BNY Mellon.  You, on behalf of You and Your affiliates, acknowledge and agree that, BNY Mellon will have no duty or obligation to verify or confirm the actual identity of the person who accessed Electronic Access using a validly issued user-id and password (and, where applicable, security identification device) or that the person who accessed Electronic Access using such validly issued user-id and password (and, where applicable, security identification device) is, in fact, a User (whether an Authorized User or an Authorized Transactional User).
c.  
You shall not, and shall not permit any User or third party to, breach or attempt to breach any security measures used in connection with Electronic Access or Proprietary Software.  Any attempt to circumvent or penetrate any application, network or other security measures used by BNY Mellon or its suppliers in connection with Electronic Access is strictly prohibited.
d.  
You are also solely responsible for ensuring that all Users comply with these Terms and Conditions and any Terms of Use included on the Sites, the Service Agreement for each product or services accessed through the Sites and their associated services and all applicable terms and conditions, restrictions on the use of such products and services and data obtained through the use of Electronic Access.  BNY Mellon reserves the right to prohibit access or revoke the access of any User to Electronic Access whom BNY Mellon determines has violated or breached these terms and conditions or any Terms of Use on a Site accessed by the User, including the Data Terms Web Site (as defined below), or whose conduct BNY Mellon reasonably determines may constitute a criminal offense, violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law or constitute a security risk for BNY Mellon, a BNY Mellon’s third party supplier (“ BNY Mellon’s Supplier ”),  BNY Mellon’s clients or any Users of Electronic Access.  BNY Mellon may also terminate access to all Users following termination of all Services Agreements between You and BNY Mellon.
2.  
Proprietary Software :  Depending upon the products and services You elect to access through Electronic Access, You may be provided software owned by BNY Mellon or licensed to BNY Mellon by a BNY Mellon Supplier (“ Proprietary Software ”).  You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install the Proprietary Software on Your authorized computer system (including mobile devices registered with BNY Mellon) and to use the Proprietary Software solely for Your own internal purposes in connection with Electronic Access and solely for the purposes for which it is provided to You.  You and Your Users may make copies of the Proprietary Software for backup purposes only, provided all copyright and other proprietary information included in the original copy of the Proprietary Software are reproduced in or on such backup copies.  You shall not reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or attempt to determine the source code for, any Proprietary Software.  Any attempt to circumvent or penetrate security of Electronic Access is strictly prohibited.
3.  
Use of Data :
a.  
Electronic Access may include information and data that is proprietary to the providers of such information or data (“ Information Providers ”) or may be used to access Sites that include such information or data from Information Providers.  This information and data may be subject to restrictions and requirements which are imposed on BNY Mellon by the Information Providers and which are posted on http://www.bnymellon.com/products/assetservicing/vendoragreement.pdf or any successor web site of which You are provided notice from time to time (the “ Data Terms Web Site ”).  You will be solely responsible for ensuring that Users comply with the restrictions and requirements concerning the use of proprietary data that are posted on the Data Terms Web Site.
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
b.  
You consent to BNY Mellon, its affiliates and BNY Mellon’s Suppliers disclosing to each other and using data received from You and Users and, where applicable, Your third parties in connection with these Terms and Conditions (including, without limitation, client data and personal data of Users) (1) to the extent necessary for the provision of Electronic Access; (2) in order for BNY Mellon and its affiliates to meet any of their obligations under these Terms and Conditions to provide Electronic Access; or (3) to the extent necessary for Users to access Electronic Access.
c.  
In addition, You permit BNY Mellon to aggregate data concerning Your accounts with other data collected and/or calculated by BNY Mellon.  BNY Mellon will own such aggregated data, but will not distribute the aggregated data in a format that identifies You or Your data.
4.  
Ownership and Rights :
a.  
Electronic Access, including any database, any software (including for the avoidance of doubt, Proprietary Software) and any proprietary data, processes, scripts, information, training materials, manuals or documentation made available as part of the Electronic Access (collectively, the " Information "), are the exclusive and confidential property of BNY Mellon and/or BNY Mellon’s suppliers. You may not use or disclose the Information except as expressly authorized by these Terms and Conditions.  You will, and will cause Users and Your third parties and their users, to keep the Information confidential by using the same care and discretion that You use with respect to Your own confidential information, but in no event less than reasonable care.
 
b.  
The provisions of this paragraph will not affect the copyright status of any of the Information which may be copyrighted and will apply to all Information whether or not copyrighted.
c.  
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions will be construed as giving You or Users any license or right to use the trade marks, logos and/or service marks of BNY Mellon, its affiliates, its Information Providers or BNY Mellon’s Suppliers.
d.  
Any Intellectual Property Rights and any other rights or title not expressly granted to You or Users under these Terms and Conditions are reserved to BNY Mellon, its Information Providers and BNY Mellon’s Suppliers.  "Intellectual Property Rights" includes all copyright, patents, trademarks and service marks, rights in designs, moral rights, rights in computer software, rights in databases and other protectable lists of information, rights in confidential information, trade secrets, inventions and know-how, trade and business names, domain names (including all extensions, revivals and renewals, where relevant) in each case whether registered or unregistered and applications for any of them and the goodwill attaching to any of them and any rights or forms of protection of a similar nature and having equivalent or similar effect to any of them which may subsist anywhere in the world.
5.  
Reliance :
a.  
BNY Mellon will be entitled to rely on, and will be fully protected in acting upon, any actions or instructions associated with a user-id or a secure identification device issued to a User until such time BNY Mellon receives actual notice in writing from You of the change in status of the User and receipt of the secure identification device issued to such User. You acknowledge that all commands, directions and instructions, including commands, directions and instructions for transactions issued by a User are issued at Your sole risk.  You agree to accept full and sole responsibility for all such commands, directions and instructions and that BNY Mellon, will have no liability for, and you hereby release BNY Mellon from, any losses, liabilities, damages, costs, expenses, claims, causes of action or judgments (including attorneys fees and expenses) (collectively “ Losses ”) incurred or sustained by you or any other party in connection with or as a result of BNY Mellon’s reliance upon or compliance with such commands, directions and instructions.
b.  
All commands, directions and instructions involving a transaction entered by Authorized Transactional User will be treated as an authorized instruction under the applicable Services
 
 
 
 

 
 
  
Agreement(s) between You and BNY Mellon covering accounts, products and services and products provided by BNY Mellon with respect to which Electronic Access is being used whether such Services Agreement is executed prior to or after the execution of these Terms and Conditions.
6.  
Disclaimers :
a.  
Although BNY Mellon uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information through Electronic Access, BNY Mellon, its Content Providers and Information Providers make no warranties or representations under these Terms and Conditions as to accuracy, reliability or comprehensiveness of the content, information or data accessed through Electronic Access.  Without limiting the foregoing, some of the content on Electronic Access may be provided by sources unaffiliated with BNY Mellon (“ Content Providers ”) and by Information Providers. For that content BNY Mellon is a distributor and not a publisher of such content and has no control over it.  Information provided by Information Providers has not been independently verified by BNY Mellon and BNY Mellon makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the content or information provided.  Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information given or provided by Content Providers and Information Providers (including merchants and licensors) are those of the respective authors of such content and not that of BNY Mellon.  BNY Mellon will not be liable to You or Users for such content or information in any way nor for any action taken in reliance on such information nor for direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of such information. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions, all information and data, including all proprietary information and materials and all client data, provided to You through Electronic Access are provided on an “AS-IS”, “AS AVAILABLE” basis.
b.  
BNY Mellon makes no guarantee and does not warrant that Electronic Access or the information and data provided through the Electronic Access are or will be virus-free or will be free of viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code with contaminating or destructive properties.  BNY Mellon will employ commercially reasonable anti-virus software to its systems to protect its systems against viruses.
c.  
Some Sites accessed through the use of Electronic Access may include links to websites provided by parties that are not affiliated with BNY Mellon (“ Third Party Websites ”).  BNY Mellon will not be liable to any person for the content found on such Third Party Websites.  BNY Mellon will not be responsible for Third Party Websites that collect information from parties who visit their web sites through links on the Sites.  BNY Mellon will not be liable or responsible for any loss suffered by any person as a result of their use of any Third Party Websites that are linked to the BNY Mellon Sites.
d.  
BNY Mellon retains complete discretion and authority to add, delete or revise in whole or in part Electronic Access, including its Sites, and to modify from time to time any Proprietary Software provided in conjunction with the use of Electronic Access and/or any of the Sites.  To the extent reasonably possible, BNY Mellon will provide notice of such modifications.  BNY Mellon may terminate, immediately and without advance notice, and without right of cure, any portion or component of Electronic Access or the Sites.
e.  
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THERE IS NO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NO WARRANTY OF QUALITY AND NO WARRANTY OF TITLE OR NONINFRINGEMENT.  THERE IS NO OTHER WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THE SITES, ANY PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE, INFORMATION, MATERIALS OR CLIENT DATA.
f.  
Notwithstanding the prior paragraph, The Bank of New York Mellon or an Affiliate designated by it will defend You and pay any amounts agreed to by BNY Mellon in a settlement and damages finally awarded by a court of competent jurisdiction, in an  action or proceeding commenced  against You based on a claim that Electronic Access or the Proprietary Software infringe
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
plaintiff(s)’s patent, copyright, or trade secret, provided that You (i) notify BNY Mellon promptly of any such action or claim (except that the failure to so notify BNY Mellon will not limit BNY Mellon’s obligations hereunder except to the extent that such failure prejudices BNY Mellon); (ii) grant BNY Mellon or its designated Affiliate full and exclusive authority to defend, compromise or settle such claim or action; and (iii) provide BNY Mellon or its designated Affiliate all assistance reasonably necessary to so defend, compromise or settle.  The foregoing obligations will not apply, however, to any claim or action arising from (i) use of the Proprietary Software Information or Electronic Access in a manner not authorized under these Terms and Conditions, the Terms of Use, or the Data Terms Web Site; or (ii) use of the Proprietary Software or Electronic Access in combination with other software or services not supplied by BNY Mellon.
7.  
Limitation of Liability :
a.  
IN NO EVENT WILL BNY MELLON, BNY MELLON’S SUPPLIERS OR ITS  CONTENT PROVIDERS OR INFORMATION PROVIDERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE UNDER THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ANY LOSSES, LIABILITIES, DAMAGES, COSTS OR EXPENSES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY DIRECT DAMAGES, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, RELIANCE DAMAGES, EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SPECIAL DAMAGES, PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INDIRECT DAMAGES OR DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOOD WILL, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, USE, DATA, EQUIPMENT OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) THAT RESULT FROM (1) THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE ELECTRONIC ACCESS (2) THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION OR NON-ACTION TAKEN BY YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON, OR FOR ANY ERRORS BY YOU IN COMMUNICATING SUCH INFORMATION; (3) THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE ACCESS SERVICES; OR (4) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE CONTENT OR ACCESS THROUGH ELECTRONIC ACCESS.  BNY MELLON WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY ARISING FROM ANY USE OF ANY PRODUCT, INFORMATION, PROCEDURE, OR SERVICE OBTAINED THROUGH ELECTRONIC ACCESS.  BNY MELLON WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY RESULTING FROM VOLUNTARY SHUTDOWN OF THE SERVER, ELECTRONIC ACCESS OR ANY OF THE SITES TO ADDRESS TECHNICAL PROBLEMS, COMPUTER VIRUSES, DENIAL-OF-SERVICE MESSAGES OR OTHER SIMILAR PROBLEMS.
b.  
BNY MELLON’S ENTIRE LIABILITY AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY UNDER THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ANY DISPUTE OR CLAIM RELATED TO THESE TERMS OF USE, ELECTRONIC ACCESS OR SITES, IS AS FOLLOWS:  IF YOU REPORT A MATERIAL MALFUNCTION IN ELECTRONIC ACCESS THAT BNY MELLON IS ABLE TO REPRODUCE, BNY MELLON WILL USE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO CORRECT THE MALFUNCTION. IF BNY MELLON IS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE MALFUNCTION, YOU MAY CEASE ALL USE OF ELECTRONIC ACCESS AND RECEIVE A REFUND OF ANY FEES PAID IN ADVANCE, SPECIFICALLY FOR ELECTRONIC ACCESS, APPLICABLE TO PERIODS AFTER CESSATION OF SUCH USE.   BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
c.  
The limitation of liability set forth in this Limitation of Liability section and in other provisions in these Terms and Conditions is in addition to any limitation of liability provisions contained in any Services Agreements and will not supersede or be superseded by limitation of liability provisions contained in such Services Agreements, whether executed prior to or after the execution of these Terms and Conditions, except to the extent specifically set forth in such other Services Agreements containing a reference to these Terms and Conditions.
8.  
Indemnification :
a.  
You agree to indemnify, protect and hold BNY Mellon, BNY Mellon’s Suppliers, Content
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
  
Providers and Information Providers harmless from and against all liability, claims damages, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, resulting from a claim that arises out of (i) any breach by You or Users of these Terms and Conditions, the Terms of Use or the Data Terms Web Site and (ii) any person obtaining access to Electronic Access through You or Users or through use of any password, user-id or secure identification device issued to a User, whether or not You or a User authorized such access.  For the avoidance of doubt, and by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, the forgoing indemnity is applicable to disputes between the parties, including the enforcement of these Terms and Conditions.  The rights and remedies conferred hereunder will be cumulative and the exercise or waiver of any such right or remedy will not preclude or inhibit the exercise of additional rights or remedies or the subsequent exercise of such right or remedy.
b.  
The indemnity provided in herein is in addition to any indemnity and other remedies contained in any Services Agreements and will not supersede or be superseded by such Services Agreements, whether executed prior to or after the execution of these Terms and Conditions, except to the extent specifically set forth in such other Services Agreements and expressly stating an intent to modify this Terms and Conditions.  Nothing contained herein will, or be deemed to, alter or modify the rights and remedies of BNY Mellon as set forth in the Services Agreements.
9.  
Choice of Law and Forum :   Unless otherwise agreed and specified herein, these Terms and Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law; You expressly and irrevocably agree that exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any claim or dispute with BNY Mellon, its employees, contractors, officers or directors or relating in any way to Your use of Electronic Access resides in the state or federal courts in New York City, New York; and You further irrevocably agree and expressly and irrevocably consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in those courts over any action brought with respect to these Terms and Conditions.  BNY Mellon and You hereby waive the right of trial by jury in any action arising out of or related to the BNY Mellon or these Terms and Conditions.
10.  
Term and Termination :
a.  
Either BNY Mellon or You may terminate these Terms and Conditions and the Electronic Access upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the other party.
b.  
In the event of any breach of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions or a breach by any Authorized User of the Terms of Use or the restrictions and requirements concerning the use of Information Providers’ proprietary data that are posted on the Data Terms Web Site, the non-breaching party may terminate these Terms and Conditions and the Electronic Access immediately upon written notice to the breaching party if any breach remains uncured after ten (10) days’ written notice of the breach is sent to the breaching party.
c.  
BNY Mellon may immediately terminate access through an Authorized User’s user-id and password and may, at its discretion, also terminate access by an Authorized User, without right of cure, in the event of an unauthorized use of an Authorized User’s user-id or password, or where BNY Mellon believes there is a security risk created by such access.
d.  
BNY Mellon may terminate, without advance notice, Your access or the access of Users to any portion or component of Electronic Access or the Sites in the event a BNY Mellon Supplier, Content Provider or Information Provider prohibits BNY Mellon from permitting You or Users to have access to their information or services.
e.  
Promptly upon receiving or giving notice of termination, You will notify all Users of the effective date of the termination.
f.  
Upon termination of Your access to Electronic Access, You shall return of manuals, documentation, workflow descriptions and the like that are in Your possession or under Your control and all security identification devices.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
g.  
The Reliance, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability Indemnification and confidentiality provisions of the Terms and Conditions (and other provision of these Terms and Conditions containing disclaimers, limitation of liability and indemnification) shall survive the termination of these Terms and Conditions.
 
You represent and warrant to BNY Mellon that these Terms and Conditions and the indemnity contained herein have been duly authorized and accepted, that You have full authority to enter into these Terms and Conditions, both for the entities at Schedule A and for any affiliate with Electronic Access, and that these Terms and Conditions constitute a binding obligation enforceable in accordance with its terms.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
SCHEDULE A to APPENDIX I
 
Affiliates of Client
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
APPENDIX II
 
 
FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER AGREEMENT
 
AGREEMENT made as of April 21, 2015 between Elkhorn ETF Trust, a business trust organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts having its principal office and place of business at 207 Reber Street, Suite 201, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 (the “Trust”) and The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY”).
 
W I T N E S S E T H:
 
WHEREAS , the Trust desires to appoint BNY as a Foreign Custody Manager on the terms and conditions contained herein;
 
WHEREAS , BNY desires to serve as a Foreign Custody Manager and perform the duties set forth herein on the terms and conditions contained herein;
 
NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the mutual promises hereinafter contained in this Agreement, the Trust and BNY hereby agree as follows:
 
 
 
ARTICLE XI
DEFINITIONS
 
Whenever used in this Agreement, the following words and phrases, unless the context otherwise requires, shall have the following meanings:
 
1.   “Board” shall mean the board of directors or board of trustees, as the case may be, of the Trust.
 
2.   “Eligible Foreign Custodian” shall have the meaning provided in the Rule.
 
3.   “Fund” shall mean the respective portfolios, if any, of the Trust listed on Annex I hereto, and if none are listed, references to Fund shall be references to the Trust.
 
4.   “Monitoring System” shall mean a system established by BNY to fulfill the Responsibilities specified in clauses (d) and (e) of Section 1 of Article III of this Agreement.
 
5.   “Responsibilities” shall mean the responsibilities delegated to BNY under the Rule as a Foreign Custody Manager to a Fund with respect to each Specified Country and each Eligible Foreign Custodian selected by BNY, as such responsibilities are more fully described in Article III of this Agreement.
 
6.   “Rule” shall mean Rule 17f-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended on June 12, 2000.
 
7.   “Specified Country” shall mean each country listed on Schedule I attached hereto and each country, other than the United States, constituting the primary market for a security with respect to which the Trust has given settlement instructions to The Bank of New York Mellon as custodian (the “Custodian”) under its Custody Agreement with the Trust.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
ARTICLE XII
BNY AS A FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER
 
1.   The Trust on behalf of its Board hereby delegates to BNY with respect to each Specified Country the Responsibilities.
 
2.   BNY accepts the Board’s delegation of Responsibilities with respect to each Specified Country and agrees in performing the Responsibilities as a Foreign Custody Manager to exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence such as a person having responsibility for the safekeeping of the Trust’s assets would exercise.
 
3.   BNY shall provide to the Board at such times as the Board deems reasonable and appropriate based on the circumstances of the Trust’s foreign custody arrangements written reports notifying the Board of the placement of assets of the Trust with a particular Eligible Foreign Custodian within a Specified Country and of any material change in the arrangements (including the contract governing such arrangements) with respect to assets of the Trust with any such Eligible Foreign Custodian.
 
 
ARTICLE XIII
RESPONSIBILITIES
 
1.   Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, BNY shall with respect to each Specified Country select an Eligible Foreign Custodian.  In connection therewith, BNY shall: (a) determine that assets of the Trust held by such Eligible Foreign Custodian will be subject to reasonable care, based on the standards applicable to custodians in the relevant market in which such Eligible Foreign Custodian operates, after considering all factors relevant to the safekeeping of such assets, including, without limitation, those contained in paragraph (c)(1) of the Rule; (b) determine that the Trust’s foreign custody arrangements with each Eligible Foreign Custodian are governed by a written contract with the Custodian which will provide reasonable care for the Trust’s assets based on the standards specified in paragraph (c)(1) of the Rule; (c) determine that each contract with an Eligible Foreign Custodian shall include the provisions specified in paragraph (c)(2)(i)(A) through (F) of the Rule or, alternatively, in lieu of any or all of such (c)(2)(i)(A) through (F) provisions, such other provisions as BNY determines will provide, in their entirety, the same or a greater level of care and protection for the assets of the Trust as such specified provisions; (d) monitor pursuant to the Monitoring System the appropriateness of maintaining the assets of the Trust with a particular Eligible Foreign Custodian pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of the Rule and the performance of the contract governing such arrangement; and (e) advise the Trust whenever BNY determines under the Monitoring System that an arrangement (including, any material change in the contract governing such arrangement) described in preceding clause (d) no longer meets the requirements of the Rule.
 
2.   For purposes of preceding Section 1 of this Article, BNY’s determination of appropriateness shall not include, nor be deemed to include, any evaluation of Country Risks associated with investment in a particular country.  For purposes hereof, “Country Risks” shall mean systemic risks of holding assets in a particular country including but not limited to (a) an Eligible Foreign Custodian’s use of any depositories that act as or operate a system or a transnational system for the central handling of securities or any equivalent book-entries; (b) such country’s financial infrastructure; (c) such country’s prevailing custody and settlement practices; (d) nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; (e) regulation of the banking or securities industry; (f) currency controls, restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; and (g) market conditions which affect the orderly execution of securities transactions or affect the value of securities.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
ARTICLE XIV
REPRESENTATIONS
 
1.   The Trust hereby represents that: (a) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Trust, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Trust enforceable in accordance with its terms, and no statute, regulation, rule, order, judgment or contract binding on the Trust prohibits the Trust’s execution or performance of this Agreement; (b) this Agreement has been approved and ratified by the Board at a meeting duly called and at which a quorum was at all times present, and (c) the Trust’s investment advisor has considered the Country Risks associated with investment in each Specified Country and will have considered such risks prior to any settlement instructions being given to the Custodian with respect to any other country.
 
2.   BNY hereby represents that: (a) BNY is duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, with full power to carry on its businesses as now conducted, and to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; (b) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by BNY, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of BNY enforceable in accordance with its terms, and no statute, regulation, rule, order, judgment or contract binding on BNY prohibits BNY’s execution or performance of this Agreement; and (c) BNY has established the Monitoring System.
 
 
ARTICLE XV
CONCERNING BNY
 
1.   BNY shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees, sustained or incurred by, or asserted against, the Trust or any Fund except to the extent the same arises out of the failure of BNY to exercise the care, prudence and diligence required by Section 2 of Article II hereof.  In no event shall BNY be liable to the Trust, a Fund or the Board, or any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or for lost profits or loss of business, arising in connection with this Agreement.
 
2.   The Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund shall indemnify BNY and hold it harmless from and against any and all costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims, including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees, sustained or incurred by, or asserted against, BNY by reason or as a result of any action or inaction, or arising out of BNY’s performance hereunder, provided that the Trust shall not indemnify BNY to the extent any such costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims arises out of BNY’s failure to exercise the reasonable care, prudence and diligence required by Section 2 of Article II hereof.
 
3.   For its services hereunder, the Trust agrees to pay to BNY such compensation and out-of-pocket expenses as shall be mutually agreed.
 
4.   BNY shall have only such duties as are expressly set forth herein.  In no event shall BNY be liable for any Country Risks associated with investments in a particular country.
 
ARTICLE XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
 
1.   This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Trust and BNY as a foreign custody manager, and no provision in the Custody Agreement between the Trust and the Custodian
 
 
 
 

 


shall affect the duties and obligations of BNY hereunder, nor shall any provision in this Agreement affect the duties or obligations of the Custodian under the Custody Agreement.
 
2.   Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to BNY, shall be sufficiently given if received by it at its offices at 100 Church Street, 10 th Floor, New York, New York 10286, or at such other place as BNY may from time to time designate in writing.
 
3.   Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to the Trust shall be sufficiently given if received by it at its offices at 207 Reber Street, Suite 202, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 or at such other place as the Trust may from time to time designate in writing.
 
4.   In the event that the Trust establishes one or more additional Funds with respect to which it desires to have BNY serve as Foreign Custody Manager under the terms hereof, it shall so notify BNY in writing, and if BNY agrees in writing to provide such services, such Fund will be added to this Agreement.
 
5.   In case any provision in or obligation under this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected thereby.  This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by a written agreement executed by both parties.  This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, and their respective successors and assigns; provided however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by either party without the written consent of the other.
 
6.   This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof.  The Trust and BNY hereby consent to the jurisdiction of a state or federal court situated in New York City, New York in connection with any dispute arising hereunder.  The Trust hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that such proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.  The Trust and BNY each hereby irrevocably waives any and all rights to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
 
7.   The parties hereto agree that in performing hereunder, BNY is acting solely on behalf of the Trust and no contractual or service relationship shall be deemed to be established hereby between BNY and any other person by reason of this Agreement.
 
8.   This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall, together, constitute only one instrument.
 
9.   This Agreement shall terminate simultaneously with the termination of the Custody Agreement between the Trust and the Custodian, and may otherwise be terminated by either party giving to the other party a notice in writing specifying the date of such termination, which shall be not less than thirty (30) days after the date of such notice.
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Trust and BNY have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers, thereunto duly authorized, as of the date first above written.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
ELKHORN ETF TRUST
 
 
 
By:  ______________________________                                                            
 
Title:
 
 
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
 
 
 
By:  ______________________________     
 
Title:
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
ANNEX I
 
 
 
 
Fund Name                                                                                     Tax Identification
 
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SCHEDULE I
 
Specified Countries
 
 
 

Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
Subscription Agreement
 
This Subscription Agreement (the “Agreement” ) made this 7th day of April, 2015 by and between Elkhorn ETF Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust” ), on behalf of its series, Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund” ), and Elkhorn Investments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Subscriber” ).
 
Recitals:
 
1. The Trust has been formed for the purposes of carrying on business as an open-end management investment company;
 
2. The Fund is a series of the Trust; and
 
2. The Subscriber wishes to subscribe for and purchase, and the Trust wishes to sell to the Subscriber, 4,000 shares of the Fund at $25 per share.
 
Now, Therefore, It Is Agreed:
 
1. The Subscriber subscribes for and agrees to purchase from the Trust 4,000 shares of the Fund at $25 per share.  Subscriber agrees to make payment for these shares of the Fund at such time as demand for payment may be made by an officer of the Trust.
 
2. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, agrees to issue and sell said shares to Subscriber promptly upon its receipt of the purchase price.
 
3. To induce the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, to accept its subscription and issue the shares subscribed for, the Subscriber represents that it is informed as follows:
 
(a) That the shares being subscribed for have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 ( “Securities Act” );
 
(b) That the shares will be sold by the Fund in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act;
 
(c) That the Trust’s reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is predicated in part on the representations and agreements contained in this Agreement;
 
(d) That when issued, the shares will be “restricted securities” as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of Rule 144 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Act ( “Rule 144” ) and cannot be sold or transferred by Subscriber unless they are
 
 
 

 
 

subsequently registered under the Securities Act or unless an exemption from such registration is available; and
 
(e) That there do not appear to be any exemptions from the registration provisions of the Securities Act available to the Subscriber for resale of the shares.  In the future, certain exemptions may possibly become available, including an exemption for limited sales including an exemption for limited sales in accordance with the conditions of Rule 144.
 
The Subscriber understands that a primary purpose of the information acknowledged in subparagraphs (a) through (e) above is to put it on notice as to restrictions on the transferability of the shares.
 
4. To further induce the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, to accept its subscription and issue the shares subscribed for, the Subscriber:
 
(a) Represents and warrants that the shares subscribed for are being and will be acquired for investment for its own account and not on behalf of any other person or persons and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, any public distribution thereof; and
 
(b) Agrees that any certificates representing the shares subscribed for may bear a legend substantially in the following form:
 
The shares represented by this certificate have been acquired for investment and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or any other federal or state securities law.  These shares may not be offered for sale, sold or otherwise transferred unless registered under said securities laws or unless some exemption from registration is available.
 
5. This Agreement and all of its provisions shall be binding upon the legal representatives, heirs, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.
 
6. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  This Agreement is executed on behalf of the Fund by the Trust’s officers as officers and not individually and the obligations imposed upon the Trust by this Agreement are not binding upon any of the Trust’s Trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Fund, a series of the Trust.
 
[Remainder of page left intentionally blank.
Signature page follows.]
 
 
 
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In Witness Whereof , this Subscription Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto as of the day and date first above written.
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust, on behalf of its series,
           Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures
           Portfolio
 
By                                                                               
Name:                                                             
Title:                                                               
 
Elkhorn Investments, LLC
 
By                                                                               
Name:                                                             
Title:                                                               
 
 
 
 
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EXECUTION
 

 
FUND ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING AGREEMENT
 
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of April 21, 2015 by and between each Trust listed on the signature page hereto (each a “Trust”, and collectively the “Trusts” as applicable) and The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to do a banking business (“BNY Mellon”).
 
W I T N E S S E T H :
 
WHEREAS, the Trust is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and
 
WHEREAS, the Trust the Trust is authorized to issue shares in separate series (each, a “Series”), with each such Series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets; and
 
WHEREAS, the Trust, so authorized, intends that this Agreement be applicable to each of its Series as set forth on Exhibit A (each such Series together with all other Series subsequently established by the Trust and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with Section 13 herein, being referred to as a “Fund” and collectively as the “Funds”); and
 
WHEREAS, each Trust desires to retain BNY Mellon to provide for the Series identified on Exhibit A hereto the services described herein, and BNY Mellon is willing to provide such services, all as more fully set forth below;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements contained herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:
 
1.   Definitions.
 
Whenever used in this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, the following words shall have the meanings set forth below:
 
“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
 
“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
 
 

 
 

 
1940 Act ” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
 
Authorized Person ” shall mean each person, whether or not an officer or an employee of a Trust, duly authorized by the Board to execute this Agreement and to give Instructions on behalf of such Trust as set forth in Exhibit B hereto and each Authorized Person’s scope of authority may be limited by setting forth such limitation in a written document signed by both parties hereto.  From time to time each Trust may deliver a new Exhibit B to add or delete any person and BNY Mellon shall be entitled to rely on the last Exhibit B actually received by BNY Mellon.
 
BNY Mellon Affiliate ” shall mean any office, branch, or subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
 
Board ” shall mean a Trust’s board of directors, board of trustees, general partner or manager, as applicable.
 
Confidential Information ” shall have the meaning given in Section 21 of this Agreement.
 
Documents ” shall mean such other documents, including but not limited to, Board resolutions, including resolutions of the Trust’s Board authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Trust, and opinions of outside counsel, as BNY Mellon may reasonably request from time to time, in connection with its provision of services under this Agreement.
 
" Instructions " shall mean Oral Instructions or written communications actually received by BNY Mellon by S.W.I.F.T., tested telex, letter, facsimile transmission, or other method or system specified by BNY Mellon as available for use in connection with the services hereunder, from an Authorized Person or person believed in good faith to be an Authorized Person.
 
Investment Advisor ” shall mean the entity identified by the Trusts to BNY Mellon as the entity having investment responsibility with respect to the Trusts.
 
Net Asset Value ” shall mean the per share value of a Trust, calculated in the manner described in the Trusts’ Offering Materials.
 
 
 
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 “ Offering Materials ” shall mean the Trusts’ currently effective prospectus and most recently filed registration statement with the SEC relating to shares of the Trust.
 
Organizational Documents ” shall mean certified copies of a Trust’s articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, certificate of formation or organization, certificate of limited partnership, bylaws, limited partnership agreement, memorandum of association, limited liability company agreement, operating agreement, confidential offering memorandum, material contracts, Offering Materials, all SEC exemptive orders issued to a Trust, required filings or similar documents of formation or organization, as applicable, delivered to and received by BNY Mellon.
 
Oral Instructions ” shall mean oral instructions received by BNY Mellon under permissible circumstances specified by BNY Mellon, in its sole discretion, as being from an Authorized Person or person believed in good faith by BNY Mellon to be an Authorized Person.
 
 
SEC ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 
Securities Laws ” means the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act.

Shares ” means the shares of beneficial interest of any series or class of the Trust.
 
2.   Appointment.
 
Each Trust hereby appoints BNY Mellon as its agent for the term of this Agreement to perform the services described herein.  BNY Mellon hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the duties hereinafter set forth.
 
3.   Representations and Warranties.
 
Each Trust hereby represents and warrants to BNY Mellon, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing, that:
 
(a)   It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder;
 
(b)   This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such

 
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Trust in accordance with all requisite action of the Board and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of such Trust, enforceable in accordance with its terms;
 
(c)   The Trust’s Investment Advisor is in good standing and qualified to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature or conduct of its business requires such qualification.
 
(d)   It is conducting its business in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, has made and will continue to make all necessary filings including tax filings and has obtained all regulatory licenses, approvals and consents necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, regulation, rule, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its Organizational Documents, nor of any mortgage, indenture, credit agreement or other contract binding on it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement;
 
(e)   The method of valuation of securities and the method of computing the Net Asset Value shall be as set forth in the Offering Materials of the Trusts.  To the extent the performance of any services described in Schedule I attached hereto by BNY Mellon in accordance with the then effective Offering Materials for the Trust would violate any applicable laws or regulations, the Trust shall immediately so notify BNY Mellon in writing and thereafter shall either furnish BNY Mellon with the appropriate values of securities, net asset value or other computation, as the case may be, or, instruct BNY Mellon in writing to value securities and/or compute Net Asset Value or other computations in a manner the Trust specifies in writing, and either the furnishing of such values or the giving of such instructions shall constitute a representation by the Trust that the same is consistent with all applicable laws and regulations and with its Offering Materials, all subject to confirmation by BNY Mellon as to its capacity to act in accordance with the foregoing;
 
(f)   The terms of this Agreement, the fees and expenses associated with this Agreement and any benefits accruing to BNY Mellon or to the Investment Advisor to or sponsor of a Trust in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to any fee waivers, conversion cost reimbursements, upfront payments, signing payments or periodic payments made or to be made by BNY Mellon to such Investment Advisor or sponsor or any affiliate of a Trust relating to this Agreement have been fully disclosed to the Board of each Trust and that, if
 
 
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required by applicable law, such Board has approved or will approve the terms of this Agreement, any such fees and expenses and any such benefits;
 
(g)   Each person named on Exhibit B hereto is duly authorized by such Trust to be an Authorized Person hereunder;
 
(h)   It has implemented, and is acting in accordance with, procedures reasonably designed to ensure that it will disseminate to all market participants, other than Authorized Participants (as defined in its Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information), each calculation of net asset value provided by BNY hereunder to Authorized Participants at the time BNY Mellon provides such calculation to Authorized Participants .
 
(i)   Without limiting the provisions of Section 21 herein, the Trust shall treat as confidential the terms and conditions of this Agreement and shall not disclose nor authorize disclosure thereof to any other person, except (i) to its employees, regulators, examiners, internal and external accountants, auditors, and counsel, (ii) for a summary description of this Agreement in the Offering Materials and a form of this Agreement as required to be filed with the SEC, (iii) to any other person when required by a court order or legal process, or (iv) whenever advised by its counsel that it would be liable for a failure to make such disclosure.  The Trust shall instruct its employees, regulators, examiners, internal and external accountants, auditors, and counsel who may be afforded access to such information of the Trust’s obligations of confidentiality hereunder; and
 
(j)   The Trusts shall promptly notify BNY Mellon in writing of any and all legal proceedings or securities investigations filed or commenced against any Trust, the Investment Advisor or the Board.
 
4.   Delivery of Documents.
 
Each Trust shall promptly provide, deliver, or cause to be delivered from time to time, to BNY Mellon the Trust’s Organizational Documents, a copy of any and all SEC exemptive orders issued to the Trust, and Documents and other materials used in the distribution of Shares and all amendments thereto as may be necessary for BNY Mellon to perform its duties hereunder.  BNY Mellon shall not be deemed to have notice of any information (other than information supplied by BNY Mellon) contained in such Organizational Documents, Documents or other materials
 
 
 
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until they are actually received by BNY Mellon.
 
5.   Duties and Obligations of BNY Mellon.
 
(a)   Subject to the direction and control of each Trust’s Board and the provisions of this Agreement, BNY Mellon shall provide to each Trust the administrative services and the valuation and computation services listed on Schedule I attached hereto.
 
(b)   In performing hereunder, BNY Mellon shall provide, at its expense, office space, facilities, equipment and personnel.
 
(c)   BNY Mellon shall not provide any services relating to the management, investment advisory or sub-advisory functions of any Trust, distribution of shares of any Trust, maintenance of any Trust’s financial records or other services normally performed by the Trusts’ respective counsel or independent auditors and the services provided by BNY Mellon do not constitute, nor shall they be construed as constituting, legal advice or the provision of legal services for or on behalf of the Trust or any other person, and each Trust acknowledges that BNY Mellon does not provide public accounting or auditing services or advice and will not be making any tax filings, or doing any tax reporting on its behalf, other than those specifically agreed to hereunder.  The scope of services provided by BNY Mellon under this Agreement shall not be increased as a result of new or revised regulatory or other requirements that may become applicable with respect to the Trust, unless the parties hereto expressly agree in writing to any such increase in the scope of services.
 
(d)   Each Trust shall cause its officers, advisors, sponsor, distributor, legal counsel, independent accountants, current administrator (if any), transfer agent, and any other service provider to cooperate with BNY Mellon and to provide BNY Mellon, upon request, with such information, documents and advice relating to such Trust as is within the possession or knowledge of such persons, and which in the opinion of BNY Mellon, is necessary in order to enable BNY Mellon to perform its duties hereunder.  In connection with its duties hereunder, BNY Mellon shall not be responsible for, under any duty to inquire into, or be deemed to make any assurances with respect to the accuracy, validity or propriety of any information, documents or advice provided to BNY Mellon by any of the aforementioned persons.  BNY Mellon shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense resulting from or arising out of the failure of the Trust to cause any information, documents or advice to be provided to BNY Mellon as provided
 
 
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herein and shall be held harmless by each Trust when acting in reliance upon such information, documents or advice relating to such Trust.  All fees or costs charged by such persons shall be borne by the appropriate Trust.  In the event that any services performed by BNY Mellon hereunder rely, in whole or in part, upon information obtained from a third party service utilized or subscribed to by BNY Mellon which BNY Mellon in its reasonable judgment deems reliable, BNY Mellon shall not have any responsibility or liability for, under any duty to inquire into, or deemed to make any assurances with respect to, the accuracy or completeness of such information.
 
(e)   Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict BNY Mellon, any BNY Mellon Affiliate or any officer or employee thereof from acting for or with any third parties, and providing services similar or identical to same or all of the services provided hereunder.
 
(f)   Each Trust shall furnish BNY Mellon with any and all instructions, explanations, information, specifications and documentation deemed necessary by BNY Mellon in the performance of its duties hereunder, including, without limitation, the amounts or written formula for calculating the amounts and times of accrual of Trust liabilities and expenses, and the value of any securities lending related collateral investment account(s).  BNY Mellon shall not be required to include as Trust liabilities and expenses, nor as a reduction of net asset value, any accrual for any federal, state, or foreign income taxes unless the Trust shall have specified to BNY Mellon in Instructions the precise amount of the same to be included in liabilities and expenses or used to reduce net asset value.  Each Trust shall also furnish BNY Mellon with bid, offer, or market values of securities if BNY Mellon notifies such Trust that same are not available to BNY Mellon from a security pricing or similar service utilized, or subscribed to, by BNY Mellon which the Trust directs BNY Mellon to utilize, and which BNY Mellon in its judgment deems reliable at the time such information is required for calculations hereunder.  At any time and from time to time, the Trust also may furnish BNY Mellon with bid, offer, or market values of securities and instruct BNY Mellon in Instructions to use such information in its calculations hereunder.  BNY Mellon shall at no time be required or obligated to commence or maintain any utilization of, or subscriptions to, any securities pricing or similar service.  In no event shall BNY Mellon be required to determine, or have any obligations with respect to, whether a market price represents any fair or true value, nor to adjust any price to reflect any events or announcements, including, without limitation, those with respect to the issuer thereof,
 
 
 
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it being agreed that all such determinations and considerations shall be solely for the Trust.
 
(g)   BNY Mellon may apply to an Authorized Person of any Trust for Instructions with respect to any matter arising in connection with BNY Mellon’s performance hereunder for such Trust, and BNY Mellon shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with such Instructions.  Such application for Instructions may, at the option of BNY Mellon, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted to be taken by BNY Mellon with respect to its duties or obligations under this Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken.  BNY Mellon shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in accordance with a proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified therein unless, prior to taking or omitting to take any such action, BNY Mellon has received Instructions from an Authorized Person in response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted.
 
(h)   BNY Mellon may consult with counsel to the appropriate Trust or its own counsel, at such Trust’s expense, and shall be fully protected with respect to anything done or omitted by it in good faith in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel.
 
(i)   Notwithstanding any other provision contained in this Agreement or Schedule I attached hereto, BNY Mellon shall have no duty or obligation with respect to, including, without limitation, any duty or obligation to determine, or advise or notify any Trust of: (i) the taxable nature of any distribution or amount received or deemed received by, or payable to, a Trust, (ii) the taxable nature or effect on a Trust or its shareholders of any corporate actions, class actions, tax reclaims, tax refunds or similar events, (iii) the taxable nature or taxable amount of any distribution or dividend paid, payable or deemed paid, by a Trust to its shareholders; or (iv) the effect under any federal, state, or foreign income tax laws of a Trust making or not making any distribution or dividend payment, or any election with respect thereto.  Further, BNY Mellon is not responsible for the identification of securities requiring U.S. tax treatment that differs from treatment under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.  BNY Mellon is solely responsible for processing such securities, as identified by the Trust or its Authorized Persons, in accordance with U.S. tax laws and regulations.
 
(j)   BNY Mellon shall have no duties or responsibilities whatsoever except such duties and responsibilities as are specifically set forth in this Agreement and Schedule I
 
 
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attached hereto, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied against BNY Mellon in connection with this Agreement.
 
(k)   BNY Mellon, in performing the services required of it under the terms of this Agreement, shall be entitled to rely fully on the accuracy and validity of any and all Instructions, explanations, information, specifications, Documents and documentation furnished to it by a Trust and shall have no duty or obligation to review the accuracy, validity or propriety of such Instructions, explanations, information, specifications, Documents or documentation, including, without limitation, evaluations of securities; the amounts or formula for calculating the amounts and times of accrual of Trusts’ or Series’ liabilities and expenses; the amounts receivable and the amounts payable on the sale or purchase of securities; and amounts receivable or amounts payable for the sale or redemption of Trust Shares effected by or on behalf of a Trust.  In the event BNY Mellon’s computations hereunder rely, in whole or in part, upon information, including, without limitation, bid, offer or market values of securities or other assets, or accruals of interest or earnings thereon, from a pricing or similar service utilized, or subscribed to, by BNY Mellon which the Trust directs BNY Mellon to utilize, and which BNY Mellon in its judgment deems reliable, BNY Mellon shall not be responsible for, under any duty to inquire into, or deemed to make any assurances with respect to, the accuracy or completeness of such information.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, BNY Mellon shall not be required to inquire into any valuation of securities or other assets by a Trust or any third party described in this sub-section (k) even though BNY Mellon in performing services similar to the services provided pursuant to this Agreement for others may receive different valuations of the same or different securities of the same issuers.
 
(l)   BNY Mellon, in performing the services required of it under the terms of this Agreement, shall not be responsible for determining whether any interest accruable to a Trust is or will be actually paid, but will accrue such interest until otherwise instructed by such Trust.
 
(m)   BNY Mellon shall not be responsible for damages (including without limitation damages caused by delays, failure, errors, interruption or loss of data) which occurring directly or indirectly by reason of circumstances beyond its reasonable control in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, including, without limitation, labor difficulties
 
 
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within or without BNY Mellon, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, failures of transportation, interruptions, loss, or malfunctions of utilities, action or inaction of civil or military authority, national emergencies, public enemy, war, terrorism, riot, sabotage, non-performance by a third party, failure of the mails, communications, computer (hardware or software) services, or functions or malfunctions of the internet, firewalls, encryption systems or security devices caused by any of the above.  Nor shall BNY Mellon be responsible for delays or failures to supply the information or services specified in this Agreement where such delays or failures are caused by the failure of any person(s) other than BNY Mellon to supply any instructions, explanations, information, specifications or documentation deemed necessary by BNY Mellon in the performance of its duties under this Agreement.
 
6.   Allocation of Expenses.
 
Except as otherwise provided herein, all costs and expenses arising or incurred in connection with the performance of this Agreement shall be paid by the appropriate Trust, including but not limited to, organizational costs and costs of maintaining corporate existence, taxes, interest, brokerage fees and commissions, insurance premiums, compensation and expenses of such Trust’s trustees, directors, officers or employees, legal, accounting and audit expenses, management, advisory, sub-advisory, administration and shareholder servicing fees, charges of custodians, transfer and dividend disbursing agents, expenses (including clerical expenses) incident to the issuance, redemption or repurchase of Trust shares or membership interests, as applicable, fees and expenses incident to the registration or qualification under the Securities Laws, state or other applicable securities laws of the Trust or its shares or membership interests, as applicable, costs (including printing and mailing costs) of preparing and distributing Offering Materials, reports, notices and proxy material to such Trust’s shareholders or members, as applicable, all expenses incidental to holding meetings of such Trust’s trustees, directors and shareholders, and extraordinary expenses as may arise, including litigation affecting such Trust and legal obligations relating thereto for which the Trust may have to indemnify its trustees, directors, officers, managers, and/or members, as may be applicable.
 
7.   Portfolio Compliance Services.
 
(a)   If Schedule I contains a requirement for BNY Mellon to provide the Trust with portfolio compliance services, such services shall be provided pursuant to the terms of this
 
 
 
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Section 7 (the “Portfolio Compliance Services”).  The precise compliance review and testing services to be provided shall be as directed by each Trust and as mutually agreed between BNY Mellon and such Trust, and the results of BNY Mellon’s Portfolio Compliance Services shall be detailed in a portfolio compliance summary report (the “Compliance Summary Report”) prepared on a periodic basis as mutually agreed.  Each Compliance Summary Report shall be subject to review and approval by the Trust.  BNY Mellon shall have no responsibility or obligation to provide Portfolio Compliance Services other that those services specifically listed in Schedule I.
 
(b)   The Trust will examine each Compliance Summary Report delivered to it by BNY Mellon and notify BNY Mellon of any error, omission or discrepancy within ten (10) days of its receipt.  The Trust agrees to notify BNY Mellon promptly in writing if it fails to receive any such Compliance Summary Report.  The Trust further acknowledges that unless it notifies BNY Mellon of any error, omission or discrepancy within 10 days, such Compliance Summary Report shall be deemed final and shall not be reissued.  In addition, if the Trust learns of any out-of-compliance condition before receiving a Compliance Summary Report reflecting such condition, the Trust will notify BNY Mellon of such condition within one (1) business day after discovery thereof.
 
(c)   While BNY Mellon will endeavor to identify out-of-compliance conditions, BNY Mellon does not and could not for the fees charged, make any guarantees, representations or warranties with respect to its ability to identify all such conditions.  In the event of any errors or omissions in the performance of Portfolio Compliance Services, the Trust’s sole and exclusive remedy and BNY Mellon’s sole liability shall be limited to re-performance by BNY Mellon of the Portfolio Compliance Services affected and in connection therewith the correction of any error or omission, if practicable and the preparation of a corrected report, at no cost to the Trust.
 
8.   Rule 38a-1 and Regulatory Administration Services.
 
(a)   If Schedule I contains a requirement for BNY Mellon to provide the Trust with compliance support services related to Rule 38a-1 promulgated under the 1940 Act and/or Regulatory Administration services, such services shall be provided pursuant to the terms of this
 
 
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Section 7 (such services, collectively hereinafter referred to as the “Regulatory Support Services”).
 
(b)   Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Regulatory Support Services provided by BNY Mellon under this Agreement are administrative in nature and do not constitute, nor shall they be construed as constituting, legal advice or the provision of legal services for or on behalf of the Trust or any other person.
 
(c)   All work product produced by BNY Mellon in connection with its provision of Regulatory Support Services under this Agreement is subject to review and approval by the Trust and by the Trust’s legal counsel.  The Regulatory Support Services performed by BNY Mellon under this Agreement will be at the request and direction of the Trust and/or its chief compliance officer (the “Trust’s CCO”), as applicable.  BNY Mellon disclaims liability to the Trust, and the Trust is solely responsible, for the selection, qualifications and performance of the Trust’s CCO and the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s compliance program.
 
9.   Standard of Care; Indemnification.
 
(a)   Except as otherwise provided herein, BNY Mellon and any BNY Mellon Affiliate shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims (including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees) incurred by or asserted against a Trust, except those costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims arising out of BNY Mellon’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct.  In no event shall BNY Mellon or any BNY Mellon Affiliate be liable to any Trust or any third party for any special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits or loss of business, arising under or in connection with this Agreement, even if previously informed of the possibility of such damages and regardless of the form of action.  BNY Mellon and any BNY Mellon Affiliate shall not be liable for any loss, damage or expense, including counsel fees and other costs and expenses of a defense against any claim or liability, resulting from, arising out of, or in connection with its performance hereunder, including its actions or omissions, the incompleteness or inaccuracy of any specifications or other information furnished by the Trust, or for delays caused by circumstances beyond BNY Mellon’s reasonable control, unless such loss, damage or expense arises out of the bad faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct of BNY Mellon.
 
 
 
-12-

 
 
(b)   Each Trust shall indemnify and hold harmless BNY Mellon and any BNY Mellon Affiliate from and against any and all costs, expenses, damages, liabilities and claims (including claims asserted by a Trust), and reasonable attorneys’ and accountants’ fees relating thereto, which are sustained or incurred or which may be asserted against BNY Mellon or any BNY Mellon Affiliate, by reason of or as a result of any action taken or omitted to be taken by BNY Mellon or any BNY Mellon Affiliate without bad faith, gross negligence, or willful misconduct, or in reliance upon (i) any law, act, regulation or interpretation of the same even though the same may thereafter have been altered, changed, amended or repealed, (ii) such Trust’s Offering Materials or Documents (excluding information provided by BNY Mellon), (iii) any Instructions, or (iv) any opinion of legal counsel for such Trust or BNY Mellon, or arising out of transactions or other activities of such Trust which occurred prior to the commencement of this Agreement; provided , that no Trust shall indemnify BNY Mellon nor any BNY Mellon Affiliate for costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims for which BNY Mellon or any BNY Mellon Affiliate is liable under the preceding sub-section 8(a).  This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of each Trust, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Trust shall indemnify BNY Mellon and any BNY Mellon Affiliate against and save BNY Mellon and any BNY Mellon Affiliate harmless from any loss, damage or expense, including counsel fees and other costs and expenses of a defense against any claim or liability, arising from any one or more of the following:
 
I.   Errors in records or instructions, explanations, information, specifications or documentation of any kind, as the case may be, supplied to BNY Mellon by any third party described above or by or on behalf of a Trust;
 
II.   Action or inaction taken or omitted to be taken by BNY Mellon or any BNY Mellon Affiliate pursuant to Instructions of the Trust or otherwise without gross negligence or willful misconduct;
 
III.   Any action taken or omitted to be taken by BNY Mellon in good faith in accordance with the advice or opinion of counsel for a Trust or its own counsel;
 
IV.   Any improper use by a Trust or its agents, distributor or investment advisor of any valuations or computations supplied by BNY Mellon pursuant to this Agreement;
 
 
 
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V.   The method of valuation of the securities and the method of computing each Series’ net asset value; or
 
VI.   Any valuations of securities, other assets, or the net asset value provided by a Trust.
 
(c)   Actions taken or omitted in reliance on Instructions or upon any information, order, indenture, stock certificate, membership certificate, power of attorney, assignment, affidavit or other instrument believed by BNY Mellon in good faith to be from an Authorized Person, or upon the opinion of legal counsel for a Trust or its own counsel, shall be conclusively presumed to have been taken or omitted in good faith.
 
10.   Compensation.
 
For the services provided hereunder, each Trust agrees to pay BNY Mellon such compensation as is mutually agreed to in writing by each Trust and BNY Mellon from time to time and such out-of-pocket expenses ( e.g. , telecommunication charges, postage and delivery charges, costs of independent compliance reviews, record retention costs, reproduction charges and transportation and lodging costs) as are incurred by BNY Mellon in performing its duties hereunder.  Except as hereinafter set forth, compensation shall be calculated and accrued daily and paid monthly.  Each Trust authorizes BNY Mellon to debit such Trust’s custody account for all amounts due and payable hereunder.  BNY Mellon shall deliver to each Trust invoices for services rendered after debiting such Trust’s custody account with an indication that payment has been made.  Upon termination of this Agreement before the end of any month, the compensation for such part of a month shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to the full monthly period and shall be payable upon the effective date of termination of this Agreement.  For the purpose of determining compensation payable to BNY Mellon, each Trust’s net asset value shall be computed at the times and in the manner specified in the Trust’s Offering Materials.
 
11.   Records; Visits.
 
(a)           The books and records pertaining to each Trust and such Trust’s Series which are in the possession or under the control of BNY Mellon shall be the property of the Trust.  The Trust and Authorized Persons shall have access to such books and records at all times during

 
-14-

 
 

BNY Mellon’s normal business hours.  Upon the reasonable request of the Trust, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by BNY Mellon to the Trust or to an Authorized Person, at the Trust’s expense.
 
(b)           BNY Mellon shall keep all books and records with respect to each Series’ books of account, records of each Series’ securities transactions and all other books and records as BNY Mellon is required to maintain pursuant to Rule 31a-1 of the 1940 Act in connection with the services provided hereunder.
 
12.   Term of Agreement.
 
(a)           This Agreement shall be effective on the date first written above and, unless terminated pursuant to its terms, shall continue until 11:59 PM on the date which is the third anniversary of such date (the “Initial Term”), at which time this Agreement shall terminate, unless renewed in accordance with the terms hereof.
 
(b)           This Agreement shall automatically renew for successive terms of one (1) year each (each, a “Renewal Term”), unless the Trust or BNY Mellon gives written notice to the other party of its intent not to renew and such notice is received by the other party not less than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or the then-current Renewal Term (a "Non-Renewal Notice").  In the event a party provides a Non-Renewal Notice, this Agreement shall terminate at 11:59 PM on the last day of the Initial Term or Renewal Term, as applicable.
 
(c)           If a party materially breaches this Agreement (a “Defaulting Party”) the other party (the “Non-Defaulting Party”) may give written notice thereof to the Defaulting Party ("Breach Notice"), and if such material breach shall not have been remedied within thirty (30) days after the Breach Notice is given, then the Non Defaulting Party may terminate this Agreement by giving written notice of termination to the Defaulting Party ("Breach Termination Notice"), in which case this Agreement shall terminate as of 11:59 PM on the 30th day following the date the Breach Termination Notice is given, or such later date as may be specified in the Breach Termination Notice (but not later than the last day of the Initial Term or then-current Renewal Term, as appropriate). In all cases, termination by the Non-Defaulting Party shall not constitute a waiver by the Non-Defaulting Party of any other rights it might have under this Agreement or otherwise against the Defaulting Party.
 
 
 
-15-

 
 
(d)           Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, BNY Mellon may in its sole discretion terminate this Agreement immediately by sending notice thereof to the Trust upon the happening of any of the following: (i) the Trust commences as debtor any case or proceeding under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar law, or there is commenced against the Trust any such case or proceeding; (ii)  the Trust commences as debtor any case or proceeding seeking the appointment of a receiver, conservator, trustee, custodian or similar official for the Trust or any substantial part of its property or there is commenced against the Trust any such case or proceeding; (iii) the Trust makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; or (iv) the Trust admits in any recorded medium, written, electronic or otherwise, its inability to pay its debts as they come due.  BNY Mellon may exercise its termination right under this Section 11(d) at any time after the occurrence of any of the foregoing events notwithstanding that such event may cease to be continuing prior to such exercise, and any delay in exercising this right shall not be construed as a waiver or other extinguishment of that right.  Any exercise by BNY Mellon of its termination right under this Section 11(d) shall be without any prejudice to any other remedies or rights available to BNY Mellon and shall not be subject to any fee or penalty, whether monetary or equitable.  Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 18, notice of termination under this Section 11(d) shall be considered given and effective when given, not when received.
 
13.   Amendment.
 
This Agreement may not be amended, changed or modified in any manner except by a written agreement executed by BNY Mellon and the Trust to be bound thereby, and authorized or approved by such Trust’s Board. In the event that the Trust establishes one or more additional Funds with respect to which it desires to have BNY Mellon render services as administration and accounting services provider under the terms hereof, it shall so notify BNY Mellon in writing, and if BNY Mellon agrees in writing to provide such services, such additional issuance shall become Shares hereunder and Exhibit A shall be amended to include the Fund.
 
14.   Assignment; Subcontracting.
 
(a)           This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be
 
 
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assignable or delegable by any Trust without the written consent of BNY Mellon, or by BNY Mellon without the written consent of the affected Trust.
 
(b)           Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) BNY Mellon may assign or transfer this Agreement to any BNY Mellon Affiliate or transfer this Agreement in connection with a sale of a majority or more of its assets, equity interests or voting control, provided that BNY Mellon gives the Trusts thirty (30) days' prior written notice of such assignment or transfer and such assignment or transfer does not impair the provision of services under this Agreement in any material respect, and the assignee or transferee agrees to be bound by all terms of this Agreement in place of BNY Mellon; (ii) BNY Mellon may subcontract with, hire, engage or otherwise outsource to any BNY Mellon Affiliate with respect to the performance of any one or more of the functions, services, duties or obligations of BNY Mellon under this Agreement but any such subcontracting, hiring, engaging or outsourcing shall not relieve BNY Mellon of any of its liabilities hereunder; (iii) BNY Mellon may subcontract with, hire, engage or otherwise outsource to an unaffiliated third party with respect to the performance of any one or more of the functions, services, duties or obligations of BNY Mellon under this Agreement but any such subcontracting, hiring, engaging or outsourcing shall (A) require the prior written consent of the Trust and (B) limit BNY Mellon’s liability such that BNY Mellon shall only be liable for  failure to reasonably select such unaffiliated third party, and BNY Mellon shall have no liability for any acts or omissions to act of such unaffiliated third party; and (iv) BNY Mellon, in the course of providing certain additional services requested by a Trust, including but not limited to, Typesetting, Money Market Fund, or eBoard Book services (“Vendor Eligible Services”) as further described in Schedule I, may in its sole discretion, enter into an agreement or agreements with a financial printer, or electronic services provider (“Vendor”) to provide BNY Mellon with the ability to generate certain reports or provide certain functionality.  BNY Mellon shall not be obligated to perform any of the Vendor Eligible Services unless an agreement between BNY Mellon and the Vendor for the provision of such services is then-currently in effect, and shall only be liable for the failure to reasonably select the Vendor.  Upon request, BNY Mellon will disclose the identity of the Vendor and the status of the contractual relationship, and a Trust is free to attempt to contract directly with the Vendor for the provision of the Vendor Eligible Services.
 
(c)           As compensation for the Vendor Eligible Services rendered by BNY Mellon
 
 
-17-

 


pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust will pay to BNY Mellon such fees as may be agreed to in writing by the Trust and BNY Mellon.  In turn, BNY Mellon will be responsible for paying the Vendor’s fees.  For the avoidance of doubt, BNY Mellon anticipates that the fees it charges hereunder will be more than the fees charged to it by the Vendor, and BNY Mellon will retain the difference between the amount paid to BNY Mellon hereunder and the fees BNY Mellon pays to the Vendor as compensation for the additional services provided by BNY Mellon in the course of making the Vendor Eligible Services available to the Trust.
 
15.   Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction.
 
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict of laws principles thereof.  Each Trust hereby consents to the jurisdiction of a state or federal court situated in New York City, New York in connection with any dispute arising hereunder, and waives to the fullest extent permitted by law its right to a trial by jury.  To the extent that in any jurisdiction any Trust may now or hereafter be entitled to claim, for itself or its assets, immunity from suit, execution, attachment (before or after judgment) or other legal process, such Trust irrevocably agrees not to claim, and it hereby waives, such immunity.
 
16.   Severability.
 
In case any provision in or obligation under this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions or obligations shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and if any provision is inapplicable to any person or circumstances, it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other persons and circumstances.
 
17.   No Waiver.
 
Each and every right granted to BNY Mellon hereunder or under any other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, or allowed it by law or equity, shall be cumulative and may be exercised from time to time.  No failure on the part of BNY Mellon to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise by BNY Mellon of any right preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.
 
 
 
-18-

 
 
18.   Notices.
 
All notices, requests, consents and other communications pursuant to this Agreement in writing shall be sent as follows:
 
if to a Trust, at
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 Reber Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Attention: Fund Secretary

 
if to BNY Mellon, at
 
BNY Mellon
2 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Attention: ETF Operations
 
with a copy to:
 
The Bank of New York Mellon
One Wall Street
New York, New York 10286
Attention: Legal Dept. – Asset Servicing
 
 
or at such other place as may from time to time be designated in writing.  Notices hereunder shall be effective upon receipt.
 
19.   Counterparts .
 
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original; but such counterparts together shall constitute only one instrument.
 
20.   Several Obligations.
 
The parties acknowledge that the obligations of the Trusts hereunder are several and not joint, that no Trust shall be liable for any amount owing by another Trust and that the Trusts have executed one instrument for convenience only.
 
 
 
-19-

 
 
21.   Confidentiality .
 
(a) Each party shall keep confidential any information relating to the other party’s business (“Confidential Information”).  Confidential Information shall include (a) any data or information that is competitively sensitive material, and not generally known to the public, including, but not limited to, information about product plans, marketing strategies, finances, operations, customer relationships, customer profiles, customer lists, sales estimates, business plans, and internal performance results relating to the past, present or future business activities of a Trust or BNY Mellon and their respective subsidiaries and affiliated companies; (b) any scientific or technical information, design, process, procedure, formula, or improvement that is commercially valuable and secret in the sense that its confidentiality affords a Trust or BNY Mellon a competitive advantage over its competitors; (c) all confidential or proprietary concepts, documentation, reports, data, specifications, computer software, source code, object code, flow charts, databases, inventions, know-how, and trade secrets, whether or not patentable or copyrightable; and (d) anything designated as confidential.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, information shall not be Confidential Information and shall not be subject to such confidentiality obligations if it: (a) is already known to the receiving party at the time it is obtained; (b) is or becomes publicly known or available through no wrongful act of the receiving party; (c) is rightfully received from a third party who, to the best of the receiving party’s knowledge, is not under a duty of confidentiality; (d) is released by the protected party to a third party without restriction; (e) is requested or required to be disclosed by the receiving party pursuant to a court order, subpoena, governmental or regulatory agency request or law; (f) is relevant to the defense of any claim or cause of action asserted against the receiving party; (g) is Trust information provided by BNY Mellon in connection with an independent third party compliance or other review; (h) is released in connection with the provision of services under this Agreement; or (i) has been or is independently developed or obtained by the receiving party.  The provisions of this Section 20 shall survive termination of this Agreement for a period of one (1) year after such termination.
 
(b) The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation is a global financial organization that provides services to clients through its affiliates and subsidiaries in multiple jurisdictions (the “BNY Mellon Group”).  The BNY Mellon Group may centralize functions including audit,

 
-20-

 
 

accounting, risk, legal, compliance, sales, administration, product communication, relationship management, storage, compilation and analysis of customer-related data, and other functions (the “Centralized Functions”) in one or more affiliates, subsidiaries and third-party service providers. Solely in connection with the Centralized Functions, (i) the Trust consents to the disclosure of and authorizes BNY Mellon to disclose information regarding the Trust (“Customer-Related Data”) to the BNY Mellon Group and to its third-party service providers who are subject to confidentiality obligations with respect to such information and (ii) BNY Mellon may store the names and business contact information of the Trust’s employees and representatives on the systems or in the records of the BNY Mellon Group or its service providers. The BNY Mellon Group may aggregate Customer-Related Data with other data collected and/or calculated by the BNY Mellon Group, and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary the BNY Mellon Group will own all such aggregated data, provided that the BNY Mellon Group shall not distribute the aggregated data in a format that identifies Customer-Related Data with a particular customer.  The Trust confirms that it is authorized to consent to the foregoing.
 

 
[Signature page follows.]
 

 
-21-

 
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers and their seals to be hereunto affixed, all as of the latest date set forth below.
 
ELKHORN ETF TRUST
By: __________________________
on behalf of each Trust
identified on Exhibit A
attached hereto
 
Name: ________________________
 
Title: _________________________
 
Date:
 
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
 


By: __________________________
 
Name: ________________________
 
Title: _________________________
 
Date:
 

 
 
-22-

 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT A
 
Series
 
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
EXHIBIT B
 
I,        [Name]                       , of          [Trust Name]     , a [State] [corporation/trust] (the “Trust”), do hereby certify that:
 
The following individuals serve in the following positions with the Trust, and each has been duly elected or appointed by the Board of the Trust to each such position and qualified therefor in conformity with the Trust’s Organizational Documents, and the signatures set forth opposite their respective names are their true and correct signatures.  Each such person is designated as an Authorized Person under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement dated as of ___________________, 201__, between the Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon.
 
Name                                              Position                                        Signature
 
   ______________                         _____________                         ____________________
 
 
 
 
 

 


SCHEDULE I
 
Schedule of Services
 

 
All services provided in this Schedule of Services are subject to the review and approval of the appropriate Trust officers, Trust counsel and accountants of each Trust, as may be applicable.  The services included on this Schedule of Services may be provided by BNY Mellon or a BNY Mellon Affiliate, collectively referred to herein as “BNY Mellon”.
 

 
VALUATION AND COMPUTATION ACCOUNTING SERVICES
 

 
BNY Mellon shall provide the following valuation and computation accounting services for each Trust:
 
§  
Journalize investment, capital share and income and expense activities;
 
§  
Maintain individual ledgers for investment securities;
 
§  
Maintain historical tax lots for each security;
 
§  
Reconcile cash and investment balances of each Trust with the Trust’s custodian and provide a Trust’s investment adviser, as applicable, with the beginning cash balance available for investment purposes upon request;
 
§  
Calculate various contractual expenses;
 
§  
Calculate capital gains and losses;
 
§  
Calculate daily distribution rate per share;
 
§  
Determine net income;
 
§  
Obtain security market quotes and currency exchange rates from pricing services approved by a Trust’s investment adviser, or if such quotes are unavailable, then obtain such prices from the Trust’s investment adviser, and in either case, calculate the market value of each Trust’s investments in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies or guidelines; provided, however, that BNY Mellon shall not under any circumstances be under a duty to independently price or value any of the Trust's investments itself or to confirm or validate any information or valuation provided by the investment adviser or any other pricing source, nor shall BNY Mellon have any liability relating to inaccuracies or otherwise with respect to such information or valuations;
 
§  
Compute net asset value;
 
·  
Such net asset value reports and statements shall be provided to the Trust at 8:00 p.m. New York time and to Authorized Participants at 9:00 p.m. New York time, in each case by such means as BNY Mellon and the Trust may agree upon from time to time.
 
§  
Transmit or make available a copy of the daily portfolio valuation to a Trust’s investment adviser;
 
§  
Publish basket to NSCC on for each day on which trading occurs on the NYSE;
 
§  
Compute yields and portfolio average dollar-weighted maturity as applicable; and
 
§  
Compute portfolio turnover rate for inclusion in the annual and semi-annual shareholder reports.
 

 
FINANCIAL REPORTING
 
BNY Mellon shall provide the following financial reporting services for each Trust:
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
§  
Financial Statement Preparation & Review
 
·  
Prepare the Trust’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports 1 for shareholder delivery and for inclusion in Form N-CSR;
 
·  
Prepare the Trust’s quarterly schedule of portfolio holdings 1 for inclusion in Form N-Q;
 
·  
Prepare, circulate and maintain the Trust’s financial reporting production calendar;
 
·  
Prepare and file (or coordinate the filing of) a Trust’s Form N-SAR; and
 
·  
Prepare and file (or coordinate the filing of) a Trust’s Form 24f-2.
 
 
§  
Typesetting Services 2
 
·  
Create financial compositions for the applicable financial report and related EDGAR files;
 
·  
Maintain country codes, industry class codes, security class codes and state codes;
 
·  
Map individual general ledger accounts into master accounts to be displayed in the applicable financial reports;
 
·  
Create components that will specify the proper grouping and sorting for display of portfolio information;
 
·  
Create components that will specify the proper calculation and display of financial data required for each applicable financial report (except for identified manual entries, which BNY Mellon will enter);
 
·  
Process, convert and load security and general ledger data;
 
·  
Include data in financial reports provided from external parties to BNY Mellon which, includes, but is not limited to: shareholder letters, “Management Discussion and Analysis” commentary, notes on performance, notes to financials, report of independent auditors, Trust management listing, service providers listing and Trust spectrums;
 
·  
Document publishing, including the output of print-ready PDF files and EDGAR html files (such EDGAR html files will be limited to one per the applicable financial report and unless mutually agreed to in writing between BNY Mellon and a Trust, BNY Mellon will use the same layout for production data for every successive reporting period);
 
·  
Generate financial reports using the Vendor’s capabilities which include the following:
 
o  
front/back cover;
 
o  
table of contents;
 
o  
shareholder letter;
 
o  
Management Discussion and Analysis commentary;
 
o  
sector weighting graphs/tables;
 
o  
disclosure of Trust expenses;
 
o  
schedules of investments;
 
o  
statement of net assets;
 
o  
statements of assets and liabilities;
 
o  
statements of operation;
 
o  
statements of changes;
 
_______________
1 Requires “Typesetting Services” as described herein.
 
 
 
-3-

 
 
o  
statements of cash flows;
 
o  
financial highlights;
 
o  
notes to financial statements;
 
o  
report of independent registered public accounting firm;
 
o  
tax information; and
 
o  
additional Trust information as mutually agreed in writing between BNY Mellon and a Trust.
 
·  
Unless mutually agreed in writing between BNY Mellon and a Trust, BNY Mellon will use the same layout and format for every successive reporting period for the typeset reports.  At the request of a Trust and upon the mutual written agreement of BNY Mellon and the Trust as to the scope of any changes and additional compensation of BNY Mellon, BNY Mellon will, or will cause the Vendor to change format or layout of reports from time to time.
 
 
TAX SERVICES
 
BNY Mellon shall provide the following tax services for each Trust:
 
§  
Tax Provision Preparation
 
·  
Prepare fiscal year-end tax provision analysis;
 
·  
Process tax adjustments on securities identified by a Trust that require such treatment;
 
·  
Prepare ROCSOP adjusting entries; and
 
·  
Prepare financial statement footnote disclosures.
 

 
§  
Excise Tax Distributions Calculations
 
·  
Prepare calendar year tax distribution analysis;
 
·  
Process tax adjustments on securities identified by a Trust that require such treatment; and
 
·  
Prepare annual tax-based distribution estimate for each Trust.
 

 
§  
Other Tax Services
 
·  
Prepare for execution and filing, the federal and state income and excise tax returns;
 
·  
Prepare year-end Investment Company Institute broker/dealer reporting and prepare fund distribution calculations disseminated to broker/dealers; and
 
·  
Coordinate U.S.C. Title 26 Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) §855 and excise tax distribution requirements.
 

 
§  
Uncertain Tax Provisions
 
·  
Documentation of all material tax positions taken by a Trust with respect to specified fiscal years and identified to BNY Mellon (“Tax Positions”);
 
·  
Review of a Trust’s: (i) tax provision work papers, (ii) excise tax distribution work papers, (iii) income and excise tax returns, (iv) tax policies and procedures, and (v) Subchapter M compliance work papers;
 
 
 
-4-

 
 
 
·  
Determine as to whether or not Tax Positions have been consistently applied, and documentation of any inconsistencies;
 
·  
Review relevant statutory authorities;
 
·  
Review tax opinions and legal memoranda prepared by tax counsel or tax auditors to a Trust;
 
·  
Review standard mutual fund industry practices, to the extent such practices are known to, or may reasonably be determined by, BNY Mellon; and
 
·  
Delivery of a written report to the applicable Trust detailing such items.
 
 
FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICES
 
BNY Mellon shall provide the following fund administration services for each Trust:
 
§  
In accordance with Instructions received from a Trust, and subject to portfolio limitations as provided by such Trust to BNY Mellon in writing from time to time, monitor such Trust’s compliance, on a post-trade basis, with such portfolio limitations, provided that BNY Mellon maintains in the normal course of its business all data necessary to measure the Trust’s compliance;
 
§  
Monitor the Trust’s status as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the IRC and Subchapter L of the IRC (if required).
 
§  
Establish appropriate expense accruals and compute expense ratios, maintain expense files and coordinate the payment of Trust approved invoices;
 
§  
Calculate Trust approved income and per share amounts required for periodic distributions to be made by the applicable Trust;
 
§  
Calculate total return information;
 
§  
Coordinate a Trust’s annual audit;
 
§  
Supply various normal and customary portfolio and Trust statistical data as requested on an ongoing basis; and
 
§  
If the chief executive officer or chief financial officer of a Trust is required to provide a certification as part of a Trust’s Form N-Q or Form N-CSR filing pursuant to regulations promulgated by the SEC under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, provide a sub-certification in support of certain matters set forth in the aforementioned certification.  Such sub-certification is to be in such form and relating to such matters as agreed to by BNY Mellon in advance.  BNY Mellon shall be required to provide the sub-certification only during the term of the Agreement and only if it receives such cooperation as it may request to perform its investigations with respect to the sub-certification.  For clarity, the sub-certification is not itself a certification under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or under any other law, rule or regulation.
 
 
REGULATORY ADMINISTRATION SERVICES
 
BNY Mellon shall provide the following regulatory administration services for each Trust:
 
 
 
-5-

 
 
 
§  
Maintain a regulatory calendar for each Trust listing various SEC filing and Board approval deadlines;
 
§  
Assemble and distribute board materials for quarterly meetings of the Board, including the drafting of agendas and resolutions for such quarterly meetings of the Board (with final selection of agenda items made by Trust counsel);
 
§  
Attend (in-person or telephonically) quarterly Board meetings and draft minutes thereof;
 
§  
Prepare and coordinate the filing of annual post-effective amendments to a Trust’s registration statement (not including the initial registration statement or related to the addition of one or more classes of shares or series);
 
§  
Prepare and coordinate the filing of Forms N-CSR, N-Q, and N-PX, as applicable (with the Trust supplying the voting records in the format required by BNY Mellon) 2 ;
 
§  
Assist the Trust in the handling of SEC examinations by providing requested documents in the possession of BNY Mellon that are on the SEC examination request list; and
 
§  
Assist in the preparation of notices of annual or special meetings of shareholders and proxy materials relating to such meetings 2 .
 
§  
eBoard Book Services :
 
·  
Permit persons or entities entering a valid password to have electronic access, via an Internet-based secure website, to current quarterly board meeting materials and such other board meeting materials as may be agreed between BNY Mellon and a Trust 2 .
 
§  
38a-1 Compliance Support Services
 
·  
Provide compliance policies and procedures related to services provided by BNY Mellon and, if mutually agreed, certain of the BNY Mellon Affiliates; summary procedures thereof; and periodic certification letters.
 
2   Separate fees will apply for the noted services.
 

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AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR
ELKHORN ETF TRUST

This Authorized Participant Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into by and between ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) and ________________________________ (the “Authorized Participant” or the “AP”) and is subject to acceptance by The Bank of New York Mellon (the “BNYM ETF Administrator” or the “Transfer Agent”).  The Transfer Agent serves as the transfer agent for the Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and is a Receipt Agent as that term is defined in the rules of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).  The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Authorized Participant acknowledge and agree that the Trust shall be a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement and shall receive the benefits contemplated by this Agreement, to the extent specified herein.  The Distributor has been retained to provide services as principal underwriter of the Trust acting on an agency basis in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per share (sometimes referred to as “Shares”), of each of the separate investment portfolios of the Trust (each such portfolio a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) named on Annex I to this Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time.

As specified in the Trust’s prospectus and statement of additional information (“SAI”) incorporated therein (collectively, the “Prospectus”) included as part of the Trust’s registration statement, as amended, on Form N-1A (No. 333-XXXXX; No. 811-22926) (“Registration Statement”), the Shares of any Fund offered thereby may be purchased or redeemed only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares referred to therein and herein as a “Creation Unit.”  All references to “cash” shall refer to U.S. Dollars (“USD”).  The number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit of each Fund is set forth in the Prospectus.  Creation Units of Shares may be purchased only by or through an Authorized Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor. The Prospectus provides that Creation Units generally will be sold in exchange for an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity and/or fixed-income securities, as the case may be (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or an amount of cash computed as described in the Prospectus (the “Cash Component”), plus a purchase “Transaction Fee” as described in the Prospectus, delivered to the Trust by the Authorized Participant for its own account or acting on behalf of another party. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit.”  References to the Prospectus are to the then-current Prospectus as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time  Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein are used herein as defined in the Prospectus.

This Agreement is intended to set forth certain premises and the procedures by which the Authorized Participant may purchase and/or redeem Creation Units of Shares (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of NSCC as such processes have been enhanced to effect purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, such processes being referred to herein as the “CNS Clearing Process,” or (ii) outside the CNS Clearing Process (i.e., through the manual process of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) (the “DTC Process”).  The procedures for processing an order to purchase Shares (each a “Purchase Order”) and an order to redeem Shares (each a “Redemption Order”) are described in Annex II to this Agreement.  All Purchase and Redemption Orders must be made pursuant to the procedures set forth in Annex II hereto, as it may be amended by the Trust from time to time as set forth in Section 17 herein.  An Authorized Participant may not cancel a Purchase Order or a
 
 
 

 
 

Redemption Order after an order is placed by the Authorized Participant in accordance with Annex II hereto.

Nothing in this Agreement shall obligate the Authorized Participant to create or redeem one or more Creation Units of Shares or to sell, offer or promote the Shares.
 
The parties hereto in consideration of the premises and of the mutual
agreements contained herein agree as follows:

1. STATUS OF AUTHORIZED  PARTICIPANT AND DISTRIBUTOR .

(a) The Authorized Participant hereby represents, covenants and warrants that with respect to Purchase Orders or Redemption Orders of Creation Units of Shares of any Fund (i) through the CNS Clearing Process, it is a member of NSCC and an authorized participant in the CNS System of NSCC (as defined in each Fund’s Prospectus, a “Participating Party”), and/or (ii) outside the CNS Clearing Process, it is a DTC Participant (as defined in the Fund’s Prospectus, a “DTC Participant”). Any change in the foregoing status of the Authorized Participant shall automatically terminate this Agreement, and the Authorized Participant shall give prompt written notice to the Distributor  or  the Transfer Agent of such change.  The Authorized Participant may place Purchase Orders or Redemption Orders for Creation Units either through the CNS Clearing Process or outside the CNS Clearing Process, subject to the procedures for purchase and redemption set forth in this Agreement, including Annex II hereto (“Execution of Orders”).

(b) The Authorized Participant and the Distributor each represent and warrant that it (i) is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“the “1934 Act”); (ii) is qualified to act as a broker or dealer in the states or other jurisdictions where it transacts business with respect to this Agreement; and (iii) is a member in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), and the Authorized Participant agrees that it will maintain such registrations, qualifications and membership in good standing and in full force and effect throughout the term of this Agreement. The Authorized Participant and the Distributor each agrees to comply in all material respects with all applicable U.S. federal securities laws, the laws of the states or other jurisdictions concerned, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and to comply in all material respects with the Constitution, By-Laws and Conduct Rules of the FINRA, to the extent such law, rules and regulations relate to each party’s obligations under this Agreement.  Each of the Participant and the Distributor further represent and warrant that it will not offer or sell or promote Shares of any Fund of the Trust in any state or jurisdiction where they may not lawfully be offered and/or sold. In the case of a non-U.S. Authorized Participant, such Authorized Participant must meet the criteria set forth in 1(b)(i) through (iii) above in order to be authorized to enter into this Agreement.

(c) If the Authorized Participant is offering or selling Shares of any Fund of the Trust in jurisdictions outside the several states, territories and possessions of the United States and is not otherwise required to be registered, qualified, or a member of FINRA as set forth above, the Authorized Participant nevertheless agrees (i) to observe the applicable laws of the jurisdiction in which such offer and/or sale is made; (ii) to comply with applicable disclosure requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (iii) to conduct its business in accordance with the spirit of NASD
 
 
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Conduct Rules (or of comparable FINRA Conduct Rules, if such NASD Conduct Rules are subsequently repealed, rescinded or otherwise replaced by FINRA Conduct Rules).

(d) The Authorized Participant represents, covenants and warrants that it has   implemented, and agrees to maintain an anti-money laundering program (the “AML Program”) reasonably designed to comply with all applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”), each as amended from time to time, and any rules adopted thereunder and/or any applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations of other jurisdictions where the Authorized Participant conducts business, and any rules adopted thereunder or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency. The Authorized Participant further represents and warrants that its AML Program includes, at a minimum, written policies, procedures and internal controls reasonably designed to (i) prevent, detect and report money laundering, and (ii) identify and verify through appropriate due diligence each of its clients that purchases Creation Units or Shares. The Authorized Participant further represents and warrants that its AML Program includes written policies, a designated compliance officer, ongoing training for employees, procedures for detecting and reporting suspicious transactions, and an independent audit to test the implementation of the program.
 
(e) The Authorized Participant represents, covenants and warrants that it and/or its affiliates, or any party hired by it will not offer or distribute any Creation Units or any Shares to a client, including any government, entity or individual, where such an offer or distribution would be prohibited under the laws, rules, regulations, edicts, orders or resolutions of the United Nations,  the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, or any other jurisdiction in which it is located, including but not limited to an offer or distribution of Creation Units or Shares to any government, entity or individual within Iran, Cuba, Sudan,  North Korea, Syria, the Crimea region of Ukraine, or any other jurisdiction that becomes subject to a comprehensive trade embargo by the United Nations, EU, UK, or the United States, or to any person or entity listed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List or the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List administered by the United States Department of the Treasury, as such programs and lists may be amended from time to time, or other blacklist administered by an agency of an applicable jurisdiction including an agency of the United States, the United Kingdom, or the United Nations.

(f)   The Authorized Participant represents, covenants and warrants that it has implemented and shall maintain policies, procedures and internal controls reasonably designed to prevent and detect violations by those acting on its behalf of any applicable anti-corruption laws or regulations including self-regulatory organization regulations; giving money or anything of value to obtain or retain business or favorable treatment; and making any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any person, including but not limited to domestic or foreign government officials or employees, customers and commercial counterparties.

(g)  The Authorized Participant represents, covenants and warrants that neither it nor anyone acting on its behalf will, in connection with this agreement, make or authorize, directly or indirectly: (i) any improper payment or promise to pay, or (ii) any gift or promise to give any money or anything of value to any governmental official, customer, or commercial counterparty for the purpose of improperly influencing any official act or decision of such
 
 
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official, customer, or commercial counterparty or inducing him or her use his or her influence improperly.

(h)  The Authorized Participant represents and warrants that it has not received notice of, and is not otherwise aware of, any claim, action, suit, proceedings, or investigation involving it with respect to laws or regulations regarding anti-money laundering, sanctions, or anti-corruption.

(i) The Authorized Participant understands and acknowledges that the method by which Creation Units will be created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. For example, because new Creation Units may be issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, depending upon the facts and circumstances, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be deemed to have occurred at any point. The Authorized Participant understands and acknowledges that some activities on its part, depending on the circumstances and under certain possible interpretations of applicable law, may result in its being deemed a participant in a distribution in a manner which could subject it to the prospectus delivery and related provisions of the 1933 Act that normally would be applicable to a statutory underwriter. The Authorized Participant should review the “Continuous Offering” section of the SAI and consult with its own counsel in connection with entering into this Agreement and placing an Order (defined below). The Authorized Participant also understands and acknowledges that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, may be required to deliver a prospectus.

(j) The Authorized Participant has the capability to send and receive authenticated communications to and from (i) the Distributor, (ii) the Custodian (as defined below in Section 5 hereof), (iii) the Subcustodian (as defined below in Section 5 hereof) in the case of International Funds (see Section 7(b) below), and (iv) the Authorized Participant’s custodian. The Authorized Participant shall confirm such capability to the satisfaction of the Distributor, the Custodian and the Subcustodian prior to placing its first order with the BNYM ETF Administrator (whether it is a Purchase Order or a Redemption Order).

2.     EXECUTION OF PURCHASE ORDERS AND REDEMPTION ORDERS .

(a) All Purchase Orders or Redemption Orders shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus and, where applicable, the procedures described in Annex II hereto. Each party hereto agrees to comply with the provisions of such documents to the extent applicable to it. It is contemplated that the telephone lines used by the BNYM ETF Administrator or the Transfer Agent will be recorded, and the Authorized Participant hereby consents to the recording of all calls with the BNYM ETF Administrator and the Distributor in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that the Transfer Agent and the Distributor, as applicable, shall promptly provide copies of recordings of any such calls to the Authorized Participant upon the request of the Authorized Participant, unless such recordings have been erased or destroyed prior to receipt of such request in the normal course of business in accordance with the recording party’s general record keeping policies and procedures.   The parties agree that either party may use such recordings in connection with any dispute or proceeding relating to this Agreement.  The Trust reserves the right to issue additional or other procedures relating to the manner of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units and the Authorized Participant agrees to comply with such procedures as may be issued
 
 
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from time to time, upon reasonable notice thereof, including but not limited to the Cash Collateral Settlement Procedures that are referenced in Annex II hereto.

(b) The Distributor and the Transfer Agent on behalf of the Trust each agrees to undertake commercially reasonable efforts to accommodate requests by the Authorized Participant to cancel any Purchase Order or Redemption Order.  Nonetheless, the Authorized Participant acknowledges and agrees that delivery of a Purchase Order or Redemption Order shall be irrevocable upon the Authorized Participant’s submission of such Order in accordance with Annex II hereto; provided that the Trust and the Distributor on behalf of the Trust reserves the right to reject any Purchase Order in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus and related documents until the trade is released as described in Annex II hereto and any Redemption Order that is not in “proper form” as defined in the Prospectus.

(c) With respect to any Redemption Order, the Authorized Participant also acknowledges and agrees to return to the Trust any dividend, interest, distribution or other corporate action paid to it in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Authorized Participant that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should, in accordance with the terms of the instrument or corporate action and industry custom in the applicable market, have been paid to the Trust. With respect to any Redemption Order, the Authorized Participant also acknowledges and agrees that, alternatively, the Trust is entitled to reduce the amount of money or other proceeds due to the Authorized Participant by an amount equal to any dividend, interest, distribution or other corporate action to be paid to it in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Authorized Participant that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should be paid to the Fund. With respect to any Purchase Order, the Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Trust, acknowledges and agrees to return to the Authorized Participant any dividend, interest, distribution or other corporate action paid to the Trust in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Trust that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, have been paid to the Authorized Participant.  Likewise, with respect to any Purchase Order, the Authorized Participant acknowledges and agrees to return to the Trust any dividend, interest, distribution or other corporate action paid to it in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Authorized Participant that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should, in accordance with the terms of the instrument or corporate action and industry custom in the applicable market, have been paid to the Trust.  With respect to any Purchase Order, the Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Trust, also acknowledges and agrees that the Authorized Participant is entitled to reduce the amount of money or other proceeds due to the Trust by an amount equal to any dividend, interest, distribution or other corporate action to be paid to it in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Trust that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should be paid to the Authorized Participant.

3.   NSCC.
 
Solely with respect to Purchase Orders or Redemption Orders effected through the CNS Clearing Process, the Authorized Participant, as a Participating Party, hereby authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit to the NSCC on behalf of the Authorized Participant such instructions, including amounts of the Deposit Securities and Cash Component as are necessary, consistent with the instructions issued by the Authorized Participant to the BNYM ETF Administrator.  The Authorized Participant agrees to be bound by the terms of such
 
 
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instructions issued by the Transfer Agent and reported to NSCC as though such instructions were issued by the Authorized Participant directly to NSCC.

4.  PROSPECTUS, MARKETING MATERIALS AND REPRESENTATIONS .
 
(a) The Distributor will provide to the Authorized Participant copies of the then-current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable and any printed supplemental information in reasonable quantities upon request.  The Distributor represents, warrants and agrees that it will promptly notify the Authorized Participant when a revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus for any Fund is available and deliver or otherwise make available to the Authorized Participant copies of such revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus or summary prospectus at such time and in such numbers as the Authorized Participant may reasonably request so as to enable the Authorized Participant to comply with any obligation it may have to deliver such Prospectus and/or summary prospectus to customers. The Distributor will make such revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus available to the Authorized Participant no later than its effective date. The Distributor shall be deemed to have complied with this Section 4 when the Authorized Participant has received such revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus or summary prospectus by e-mail at [i nsert e-mail address ] , in printable form, with such number of hard copies as may be agreed from time to time by the parties promptly thereafter. The Authorized Participant represents, warrants and agrees that it shall deliver the then-current Prospectus or summary prospectus to its customers in connection with the purchase of Shares in accordance with 1933 Act prospectus delivery requirements. The Authorized Participant agrees, at the request of the Distributor, to deliver proxy material, annual and other reports of the Funds or other similar information that the Funds are obligated to deliver to their shareholders to the Authorized Participant’s customers that custody Shares with the Authorized Participant, after receipt from the Funds or the Distributor of sufficient quantities to allow mailing thereof to such customers. 

(b) The Distributor represents and warrants that (i) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus contained therein each conforms in all material respects to the requirements of the
 1933 Act, and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) the sale and distribution of the Shares as contemplated herein will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Trust, any Fund or the Distributor; and (iii) no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issuance and sale of the Shares, except the registration under the 1933 Act of the Shares, which has occurred and is in effect for the Shares and the Trust; (iv) the Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC under the 1933 Act and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the SEC has not issued any stop order or other order or notice preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted, are pending or, to the best of their knowledge, are being contemplated or threatened by the SEC; (v) the Shares, when issued and delivered against payment of consideration, as provided in this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights; (vi) prior to the launch
 
 
 
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of each Fund, such Fund’s Shares have been approved for listing on a U.S. national securities exchange; (vii) all marketing and promotional materials prepared by the Trust, the Distributor, the Funds’ adviser or any of their agents on their behalf, or to be prepared by any of them in the future and provided to the Authorized Participant in connection with the offer and sale of Shares, comply with applicable law, including without limitation, as applicable, the provisions of the 1933 Act, FINRA’s marketing rules, and the rules and regulations of the SEC.

(c) The Authorized Participant represents, warrants and agrees that it will not make any representations concerning Shares other than those that are consistent with the Trust’s then-current Prospectus or in any promotional materials or sales literature furnished to the Authorized Participant by the Distributor. Subject to Section 4(d) below, the Authorized Participant agrees not to furnish or cause to be furnished to any person or display or publish any information or materials relating to Shares, including, without limitation, promotional materials and sales literature, advertisements, press releases, announcements, statements, posters, signs or other similar materials (“Marketing Materials), except such information and materials as may be furnished to the Authorized Participant by the Distributor and such other information and materials as may be approved in writing by the Distributor.  The Authorized Participant understands that neither the Trust nor any of its Funds will be advertised or marketed as an open-end investment company ( i.e. , as a mutual fund), which offers redeemable securities, and that any advertising materials will prominently disclose that the Shares are not individually redeemable shares of the Trust.  In addition, the Authorized Participant understands that any advertising material that addresses redemptions of Shares, including the Prospectus, will disclose that the owners of Shares may acquire Shares and tender Shares for redemption to the Trust in whole Creation Units only.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Authorized Participant may, without the written approval of the Distributor, prepare and circulate, in the regular course of its business, sales commentary and   research reports that include information, opinions or recommendations relating to Shares (i) for public dissemination, provided that such sales commentary and research reports compare the relative merits and benefits of Shares with other products and are not used for purposes of marketing Shares and (ii) for internal use by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant may without the written approval of the Trust or the Distributor prepare and circulate in the regular course of its business or for internal use, research reports (as such term is defined in NYSE Communications Rule 472), institutional communications and correspondence (as such terms are defined in FINRA Rule 2210 or any successor rule) and other similar materials that include information, opinions or recommendations relating to Shares (the “Authorized Participant Institutional Communications”), provided that such Authorized Participant Institutional Communications comply with applicable FINRA Rules and any successor rules thereto.  Neither the Distributor, the Trust nor the Transfer Agent shall have any liability or responsibility for such research reports and materials.

(e) The Distributor agrees to cooperate with the Authorized Participant in carrying out its reasonable due diligence with respect to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Authorized Participant shall bear its own expenses incurred in connection with such due diligence investigation.

(f)  Except as required by court order or requested by any regulatory or self-regulatory authority of competent jurisdiction, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent each agrees that it will not, without prior written consent of the Authorized Participant, use in advertising or
 
 
 
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publicity the name of the Authorized Participant or any affiliate of the Authorized Participant, any trade name, trademark, trade device, service mark, symbol or any abbreviation, contraction or simulation thereof owned by the Authorized Participant or any of its affiliates or represent, directly or indirectly, that any product or any service provided or distributed by the Trust or the Distributor has been approved or endorsed by the Authorized Participant or any of its affiliates or that the Authorized Participant acts as underwriter, distributor or selling group member with respect to the Shares.  This provision shall survive termination or expiration of this Agreement.

(g)  The Distributor, on its own behalf and on behalf of the Trust, agrees, for as long as this Agreement is effective, not to identify or name the Authorized Participant in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any Marketing Materials for any Series without the prior written consent of the Authorized Participant, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.  If the Authorized Participant agrees to be identified in any of such documents, upon the termination of this Agreement, (i) the Distributor shall remove any reference to the Authorized Participant from such documents and (ii) the Distributor shall promptly update the Trust’s and the Distributors’ respective websites to remove any identification of the Authorized Participant as an authorized participant of the Trust.

5.     SUBCUSTODIAN ACCOUNT.

The Authorized Participant understands and agrees that in the case of each International Fund, the Trust has caused The Bank of New York Mellon acting in its capacity as the Trust’s custodian (“Custodian”) to maintain with the applicable subcustodian (“Subcustodian”) for such Fund an account in the relevant foreign jurisdiction to which the Authorized Participant shall deliver or cause to be delivered in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit the securities ( see Annex IV ) and any other cash amounts (or the cash value of all or a part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or “cash in lieu” amount), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by such Fund, in accordance with the terms and conditions applicable to such account in such jurisdiction.

6.   TITLE TO SECURITIES; RESTRICTED SHARES .

The Authorized Participant represents that upon delivery of a portfolio of Deposit Securities to the Custodian and/or the relevant Subcustodian in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus, (i) the Trust will acquire good and unencumbered title to such securities, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claims, including, without limitation, any restriction upon the sale or transfer of such securities imposed by (a) any agreement or arrangement entered into by the Authorized Participant in connection with a Purchase Order (including, but not limited to, any repurchase agreement or securities lending or borrowing agreement) or (b) any provision of the 1933 Act, and any regulations thereunder (except that portfolio securities of issuers other than U.S. issuers shall not be required to have been registered under the 1933 Act if exempt from such registration), or of the applicable laws or regulations of any other applicable jurisdiction and (ii) no such securities are “restricted securities” as such term is used in Rule 144(a)(3)(i) promulgated under the 1933 Act in the hands of the Authorized Participant immediately prior to any such delivery.  The representation provided in this Section 6 excludes restrictions due to the status of the Trust or any Fund as an “affiliate” of such issuer of the Deposit Securities under Rule 144 under the 1933 Act.
 
 
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The Trust represents that upon delivery of Deposit Securities to the Authorized Participant in connection with a Redemption Order, the Authorized Participant will acquire good and unencumbered title to such securities, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances, and not subject to any adverse claims, and that such Deposit Securities will not be “restricted securities” as such term is used in Rule 144(a)(3)(i) under the 1933 Act. The Authorized Participant represents that it is a qualified institutional buyer as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the 1933 Act.

7.     CASH COMPONENT AND FEES .

(a)            For Funds that Invest in Securities traded on U.S. Exchanges (“Domestic Funds”):   The Authorized Participant hereby agrees that in connection with a Purchase Order for any Domestic Fund, it will make available in same day funds for each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component and any other amounts of cash due to the Trust in connection with the purchase of any Creation Unit of Shares (including the purchase Transaction Fee for in-kind and cash purchases and the additional variable charge for cash purchases (when, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash purchases are available or specified as described in the Prospectus)) (the “Cash Amount”) which shall be made through DTC to an account maintained by the Custodian and shall be provided in same day or immediately available funds on or before the settlement date in accordance with the Trust’s Prospectus (“Contractual Settlement Date”). The Authorized Participant hereby agrees to ensure that the Cash Amount will be received by the Trust on or before the Contractual Settlement Date, and in the event payment of such Cash Amount has not been made by such Contractual Settlement Date, the Authorized Participant agrees, in connection with a Purchase Order, to pay the full cash amount, plus interest, computed at such reasonable rate as may be specified by the Trust from time to time.  The Trust reserves the right to revoke acceptance of any Purchase Order in the event payment of the Cash Amount has not been made by such Contractual Settlement Date.

(b)            For Funds that Invest in Securities traded on Non-U.S. Exchanges (“International Funds”) :  The Authorized Participant hereby agrees that in connection with a Purchase Order for any International Fund, it will make available in same day funds for each purchase of Shares the Cash Amount as described in Section 7(a) above which shall be made via Fed Funds Wire to an account maintained by the Custodian and shall be provided in same day or immediately available funds at least one business day before the Contractual Settlement Date, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties. The Authorized Participant hereby agrees to ensure that the Cash Amount will be received by the Trust on or before the Contractual Settlement Date, and in the event payment of such Cash Amount has not been made by such Contractual Settlement Date, the Authorized Participant agrees, in connection with a Purchase Order, to pay the full Cash Amount, plus interest, computed at such reasonable rate as may be specified by the Trust from time to time.  The Trust reserves the right to revoke acceptance of any Purchase Order in the event payment of the Cash Amount has not been made by such Contractual Settlement Date.

8.  ROLE OF AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT; PROXY.

(a) Each party acknowledges and agrees that for all purposes of this Agreement, the Authorized Participant will be deemed to be an independent contractor, and will have no authority to act as agent for the Trust, any Fund, the Distributor, the Custodian, the Subcustodian or the Transfer Agent in any matter or in any respect.  The Authorized
 
 
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Participant agrees to make itself and its employees available, upon request, during normal business hours to consult with the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, the Subcustodian, the Transfer Agent or the Authorized Participant’s custodian or their designees concerning the performance of the Authorized Participant’s responsibilities under this Agreement.

(b) In executing this Agreement, the Authorized Participant agrees that it shall be bound by the applicable obligations of a DTC Participant in addition to any obligations that it undertakes hereunder or in accordance with the Prospectus.

(c)  The Authorized Participant agrees, to the extent required by applicable law, to maintain records of all sales of Shares made by or through it and to furnish copies of such records to the Trust or the Distributor upon the reasonable written request of the Trust or the Distributor, subject to its applicable customer information protection rules, regulations, internal policies and undertakings to maintain such information in confidence.

9.   AUTHORIZED PERSONS OF THE AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT.

Concurrently with the execution of this Agreement and from time to time thereafter as may be requested by the Trust or the Distributor, the Authorized Participant shall deliver to the Distributor and the Trust, with copies to the Transfer Agent at the address specified below, duly certified as appropriate by its Secretary or other duly authorized official, a certificate substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex III to this Agreement, setting forth the names and signatures of all persons authorized to give instructions relating to any activity contemplated hereby or any other notice, request or instruction on behalf of the Authorized Participant (each such person an “Authorized Person”). Such certificate may be accepted and relied upon by the Distributor and the Transfer Agent as conclusive evidence of the facts set forth therein and shall be considered to be in full force and effect until delivery to the Distributor and the Transfer Agent of a superseding certificate bearing a subsequent date (or the termination of this Agreement, if earlier). Upon the termination or revocation of authority of such Authorized Person by the Authorized Participant, the Authorized Participant shall give prompt written notice of such fact to the Distributor and the Transfer Agent and such notice shall be effective upon receipt by the Distributor and Transfer Agent.  The Transfer Agent shall issue to each Authorized Participant a unique personal identification number (“PIN Number”) by which such Authorized Participant shall be identified and instructions issued by the Authorized Participant hereunder shall be authenticated. The PIN Number shall be kept confidential and only provided to Authorized Persons. If after issuance, an Authorized Participant’s PIN Number is changed, the new PIN Number will become effective on a date mutually agreed upon by the Authorized Participant and the Transfer Agent.  The Transfer Agent agrees promptly to cancel the PIN Number assigned to an Authorized Person upon receipt of notice from the Authorized Participant that an Authorized Person’s authority to act for it has been terminated.

10.  REDEMPTION.

The Authorized Participant understands and agrees that Redemption Orders may be submitted only on days that the U.S. stock exchange where the Shares are principally listed (as specified in the Prospectus) (the “Listing Exchange”) is open for trading or business.

(a) The Authorized Participant represents and warrants that it will not attempt to place a Redemption Order for the purpose of redeeming any Creation Unit of Shares of any Fund
 
 
- 10 -

 
 
unless it first ascertains (i) that it owns outright or has full legal authority and legal and beneficial right to tender for redemption the requisite number of Creation Units of Shares of the relevant Fund to be redeemed and to the entire proceeds of the redemption and (ii) that such Shares have not been loaned or pledged to another party and are not the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or any other arrangement that would preclude the delivery of such Shares to the Transfer Agent in accordance with the Prospectus or as otherwise required by the Trust. The Authorized Participant understands that Shares of any Fund may be redeemed only when one or more Creation Units of Shares of a Beneficial Owner are held in the account of a single Authorized Participant.

  (b)  In the case of a resident Australian or New Zealand holder, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Authorized Participant understands and agrees that such holder is only entitled to receive cash upon its redemption of Creation Units of Shares. In the Redemption Order the Authorized Participant will be required to confirm that an in-kind redemption request has not been submitted on behalf of a beneficial owner who is an Australian resident.

11.  BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP .

(a) The Authorized Participant represents and warrants to the Distributor and the Trust that (based upon the number of outstanding Shares of each such Fund made publicly available by the Trust) either (i) it does not, and will not in the future, hold for the account of any single Beneficial Owner of Shares of the relevant Fund, eighty percent (80%) or more of the currently outstanding Shares of such relevant Fund, so as to cause the Fund to have a basis in the portfolio securities deposited with the Fund different from the market value of such portfolio securities on the date of such deposit, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or (ii) it is carrying the Deposit Securities as a dealer and as inventory in connection with its market making activities.

(b) The Trust, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent shall have the right to reasonably require information from the Authorized Participant regarding Share ownership of each Fund (if the Authorized Participant does not provide the representation in Section 11(a)(ii) above) and to rely thereon to the extent necessary to make a determination regarding ownership of eighty percent (80%) or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund by a Beneficial Owner as a condition to the acceptance of a deposit of Deposit Securities.

12.  INDEMNIFICATION.
 
This Section 12 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

(a)  The Authorized Participant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor, the Trust, the Transfer Agent and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (each an “AP Indemnified Party”) from and against any loss, liability, damage and reasonable cost and expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) (“Losses”) incurred by such AP Indemnified Party in connection with, arising out of or as a result of (i) any material breach by the Authorized Participant of any provision of this Agreement that relates to such Authorized Participant; (ii) any representation provided by the Authorized Participant herein that is false or misleading or omits material information necessary to make the statement contained therein complete; (iii) any material failure on the part of the Authorized Participant to perform any of its obligations set forth in the Agreement;
 
 
- 11 -

 
 
(iv) any material failure by the Authorized Participant to comply with applicable laws to the extent relating to its role as an authorized participant hereunder, including applicable rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations, except the Authorized Participant shall not be required to indemnify an AP Indemnified Party to the extent that such failure was caused by the Authorized Participant’s reasonable adherence to instructions given or representations made by such AP Indemnified Party; (v) actions of such AP Indemnified Party taken in reasonable reliance upon any instructions issued in accordance with Annex II (including Parts A, B and C thereto) hereto (as each may be amended from time to time) reasonably believed by the AP Indemnified Party to be genuine and to have been given by the Authorized Participant, except to the extent that the Authorized Participant had previously revoked a PIN Number used in giving such instructions and such revocation was given by the Authorized Participant and received by the Transfer Agent in accordance with the terms of Section 9 hereto, or (vi)(1) any representation by the Authorized Participant, its employees or its agents or other representatives about the Shares, any AP Indemnified Party, the Trust or any Fund that is not consistent with the Trust’s then-current Prospectus made in connection with the offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell Shares and (2) any untrue statement of a material fact or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any research reports, marketing material or Communications described in Section 4 hereof or any omission of a material fact or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to the extent that such statement or omission relates to the Shares, any AP Indemnified Party, the Trust or any Fund, unless, in either case, such statement or omission was made or included by the Distributor in written materials furnished to the Authorized Participant by the Distributor or by the Authorized Participant at the written direction of the Distributor or is based upon any misstatement of a material fact or   omission of a material fact or alleged omission by the Trust or the Distributor to state a material fact in connection with such statement or omission necessary to make such statement or omission not misleading. The Authorized Participant and the Distributor understand and agree that the Trust as a third-party beneficiary to this Agreement is entitled and intends to proceed directly against the Authorized Participant in the event that the Authorized Participant fails to perform any of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement that benefit the Trust.  The Authorized Participant shall not be liable to the AP Indemnified Party for any damages arising out of (i) mistakes or errors in data provided to the Authorized Participant by an AP Indemnified Party, or (ii) mistakes or errors by, or out of interruptions or delays of communications with the AP Indemnified Parties who are service providers to the Trust.  The Authorized Participant shall not be liable under the indemnity contained in this Section with respect to any claim made against any AP Indemnified Party unless the AP Indemnified Party shall have notified the Authorized Participant in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the AP Indemnified Party (or after the AP Indemnified Party shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).  However, failure to notify the Authorized Participant of any claim shall not relieve the Authorized Participant from any liability that it may have to any AP Indemnified Party against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in this Section and shall only release it from such liability under this Section to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure to receive notice.

(b)  The Distributor hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Authorized Participant and its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls such persons within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (each a “Distributor Indemnified Party”) from and against any Losses incurred by
 
 
- 12 -

 
 
such Distributor Indemnified Party in connection with, arising out of or as a result of (i) any material breach by the Distributor of any provision of this Agreement that relates to the Distributor; (ii) any representations provided by the Distributor herein that is false or misleading or omits material information necessary to make the statement contained therein complete; (iii) any material failure on the part of the Distributor to perform any of its obligations set forth in this Agreement; (iv) any material failure by the Distributor to comply with applicable laws to the extent relating to its role in connection with the creation, redemption and marketing of the Creation Units, including applicable rules and regulations of self-regulatory organizations, except the Distributor shall not be required to indemnify a Distributor Indemnified Party to the extent that such failure was caused by the Distributor’s reasonable adherence to instructions given or representations made by a Distributor Indemnified Party; (v) actions of such Distributor Indemnified Party taken in reasonable reliance upon any instructions issued in accordance with Annex II (including Parts A, B and C thereto) hereto (as each may be amended from time to time) reasonably believed by the Distributor Indemnified Party to be genuine and to have been given by the Distributor; (vi)(1) any representation by the Distributor, its employees or its agents or other representatives about the Creation Units, any Distributor Indemnified Party, the Trust or any Fund that is not materially consistent with the Trust’s then-current Prospectus made in connection with the creation and redemption of Creation Units; and (2) any untrue statement of a material fact or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement of the Trust as originally filed with the SEC or in any amendment thereof, or in any prospectus or any statement of additional information, or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission of a material fact or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (vii) any untrue statement of a material fact or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact or alleged omission of a material fact made in any marketing material or Communications furnished to the Authorized Participant by the Distributor or the Trust, or any written disclosure provided by the Distributor or the Trust to the Authorized Participant for inclusion in marketing material or Communications prepared by the Authorized Participant and approved for use by the Distributor. The Distributor shall not be liable to any Distributor Indemnified Party for any damages arising out of (i) mistakes or errors in data provided to the Distributor by a Distributor Indemnified Party, (ii) mistakes or errors by, or out of interruptions or delays of communications with a Distributor Indemnified Party, to the extent such errors, mistakes or delays were caused by a breakdown in communications networks outside of the control of the Distributor, including, but not limited to, extreme weather, an Act of God or other similar event outside the control of the Distributor or the Transfer Agent, or (iii) any action of a service provider to the Trust, except to the extent such service provider acted under the direction of the Distributor and the Distributor acted negligently in taking or failing to take an action.  The Distributor shall not be liable under the indemnity agreement contained in this Section with respect to any claim made against any Distributor Indemnified Party unless the Distributor Indemnified Party shall have notified the Distributor in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Distributor Indemnified Party (or after the Distributor Indemnified Party shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Distributor of any claim shall not relieve the Distributor from any liability that it may have to any Distributor Indemnified Party against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in this Section and shall only release it from such liability under this Section to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure to receive notice.
 
 
- 13 -

 

 
(c) Other than with respect to Section 12(b)(i), (vi) and (vii), this Section 12 shall not apply and a party shall not have an obligation to indemnify the other and its related indemnified persons to the extent that any Losses are directly caused by, incurred as a result of, or in connection with, any negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct on the part of the party seeking to be indemnified.  The term “affiliate” in this Section 12 shall include, with respect to any person, entity or organization, any other person, entity or organization which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such person, entity or organization.

(d) The applicable indemnifying party shall be entitled, at its option, to exercise sole control and authority over the defense and settlement of such action.  The indemnifying party is not authorized to accept any settlement that does not provide the applicable indemnified party with a complete release or that imposes liability not covered   by these indemnifications or places restrictions on the indemnified party or causes reputational harm to the indemnified party, in each case, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party.
 
(e)  If any indemnification in this Section 12 is unavailable to a Distributor Indemnified Party or AP Indemnified Party, or is insufficient to hold a Distributor Indemnified Party or AP Indemnified Party harmless in respect of any Losses referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Distributor Indemnified Party or AP Indemnified Party as a result of such Losses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Distributor or the Trust on the one hand, and of the Authorized Participant, on the other hand, in connection with, to the extent applicable, the statements, omissions or actions that resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the Losses referred to in this Section 12(e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably directly incurred by such party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any action, suit or proceeding (each a “Proceeding”) related to such Losses; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, neither a Distributor Indemnified Party nor an AP Indemnified Party shall be entitled to receive an amount from any indemnifying party pursuant to this Section 12(e) that is greater than the amount such Distributor Indemnified Party or Participant Indemnified Party would have received otherwise under this Section 12 if an indemnity had been available.
 
13.  LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

(a) The parties undertake to perform such duties and only such duties as are expressly set forth herein, or expressly incorporated herein by reference, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against any party.

(b) Other than in connection with a material misstatement or omission of a material fact in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, arising from information provided by a party hereto, in the absence of bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct on its part, no party to this Agreement, excluding the Authorized Participant, whether acting directly or through agents or attorneys as provided in paragraph (e) below, shall be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted or for any error of judgment made by any of them in the performance of their duties hereunder.
 
 
- 14 -

 

(c) In no event shall a party to this Agreement be liable for special, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profit), even if such parties have been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.  In no event shall a party to this Agreement be liable for the acts or omissions of DTC, NSCC or any other securities depository or clearing corporation.

(d) No party shall be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of their obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fires; floods; wars; civil or military disturbances; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; interruptions; loss or malfunction of utilities, computer (hardware or software) or communications service; accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions.

(e) The Transfer Agent shall not be required to advance, expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur or become exposed to financial liability in the performance of its duties hereunder, except as may be required as a result of its own negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith.

(f)  Tax Liability . To the extent any payment of any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax, recording tax, value added tax or any other similar tax or government charge applicable to the creation or redemption of any Creation Unit of Shares of any Fund made pursuant to this Agreement is imposed, the Authorized Participant shall be responsible for the payment of such tax or government charge regardless of whether or not such tax or charge is imposed directly on the Authorized Participant. To the extent the Trust or the Distributor is required by law to pay any such tax or charge, the Authorized Participant agrees to promptly indemnify such party for any such payment, together with any applicable penalties, additions to tax or interest thereon.  The Distributor agrees to use its best efforts to notify the Authorized Participant of all transfer taxes, sales or use taxes, stamp taxes, recording taxes, value added taxes or any other similar tax or government charge that the Authorized Participant may incur in the future in connection with the creation or redemption of any Creation Unit of Shares.

14.  INFORMATION ABOUT FUND DEPOSITS.

The Distributor represents and the Authorized Participant acknowledges that the number and names of the designated portfolio of Deposit Securities to be included in the current Fund Deposit for each Fund will be made available by NSCC on each day that the Listing Exchange is open for trading and will also be made available on each such day through the facilities of the NSCC.

15.  ACKNOWLEDGMENT .

The Authorized Participant acknowledges receipt of the Prospectus and represents that it has reviewed and understands such documents.

16.  NOTICES.

Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, all notices required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be given in writing and delivered by personal delivery or by postage prepaid registered or certified United States first class mail,
 
 
- 15 -

 
 
return receipt requested, or by electronic mail or facsimile or similar means of same day delivery (with a confirming copy by mail). Unless otherwise notified in writing, all notices to the Trust shall be at the address, electronic mail address or telephone or facsimile numbers as follows:

The Trust
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, IL 60187
Attn: Benjamin T. Fulton

All notices to the Authorized Participant, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent shall be directed to the address, electronic mail address, or telephone or facsimile numbers indicated below the signature line of such party.

17.  EFFECTIVENESS, TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT.

(a) This Agreement shall become effective upon delivery to and execution by the Distributor. A “Business Day” shall mean any day the Listing Exchange is open for regular trading.  This Agreement may be terminated at any time by any party upon sixty (60) calendar days’ prior written notice to the other parties and may be terminated earlier by the Trust or the Distributor at any time in the event of a breach by the Authorized Participant of any provision of this Agreement or the procedures described or incorporated herein. This Agreement may be terminated immediately by a party at such time as the Trust, the Distributor or the Authorized Participant becomes insolvent or becomes the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding or winding up.  This Agreement supersedes any prior such agreement between or among the parties.

(b) This Agreement may be amended only by a written instrument executed by all the parties; provided, however, that (i) if an amendment to the Agreement is required in order to conform the Agreement to applicable law (including, without limitation, a change to the exemptive relief and/or adoption of a rule on which the Trust relies to operate as an exchange-traded fund), then the Distributor shall provide the Authorized Participant and the Transfer Agent with prompt notice of such amendment, and the next Creation Unit created by the Authorized Participant shall be deemed to constitute the Authorized Participant’s acceptance of such amendment; and (ii) any Annex to this Agreement may be amended upon written notification to the Authorized Participant and the other party if neither the Authorized Participant nor the other party objects in writing to the amended Annex within five (5) days after its receipt.

18.  GOVERNING LAW; CONSENT TO JURISDICTION .

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York (regardless of the laws that might otherwise govern under applicable New York conflict of laws principles) as to all matters, including matters of validity, construction, effect, performance and remedies. Each party hereto irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York located in the Borough of Manhattan and of the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the appellate courts therefrom in such State in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any action taken or omitted hereunder, and waives any claim of forum non
 
 
- 16 -

 
 
conveniens and any objections as to laying of venue. Each party further waives personal service of any summons, complaint or other process and agrees that service thereof may be made by certified or registered mail directed to such party at such party’s address for purposes of notices hereunder.  EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

19.  SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS.

This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

20.  ASSIGNMENT.

Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations hereunder shall be assigned by any party without the prior written consent of the other parties, except that any entity into which a party hereto may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such party hereunder shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the business of the party, shall be the successor of the party under this Agreement. The party resulting from any such merger, conversion, consolidation or succession shall notify the other parties hereto of the change. Any purported assignment in violation of the provisions hereof shall be null and void.

21.  INTERPRETATION.

The article and section headings contained in this Agreement are solely for the purpose of reference, are not part of the agreement of the parties and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

22.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT.

This Agreement, along with any other agreement or instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement, supersedes all prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

23.  SEVERANCE.

           If any provision of this Agreement is held by any court or any act, regulation, rule or decision of any other governmental or supra national body or authority or regulatory or self-regulatory organization to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason, it shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable only to the extent so held and shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the other provisions of this Agreement and this Agreement will be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein, unless the Distributor determines in its discretion, after consulting with the Trust, that the provision of this Agreement that was held invalid, illegal or unenforceable does affect the validity, legality or enforceability of one or more other provisions of this Agreement, and that this Agreement should not be continued without the provision that was held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, and in that case, upon the Distributor’s notification of the Trust of such a determination, this
 
 
- 17 -

 
 
 
Agreement shall immediately terminate and the Distributor will so notify the Authorized Participant immediately.

24.  NO STRICT CONSTRUCTION.

The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction will be applied against any party.

25.  SURVIVAL.

Sections 4 (Prospectus, Marketing Materials and Representations), 12 (Indemnification), 13 (Limitation of Liability) and 18 (Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction) hereof, as well as this Section 25, shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

26.  OTHER USAGES.

The following usages shall apply in interpreting this Agreement: (i) references to a governmental or quasigovernmental agency, authority or instrumentality shall also refer to a regulatory body that succeeds to the functions of such agency, authority or instrumentality; and (ii) “including” means “including, but not limited to.”

27.  COUNTERPARTS.
 
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original copy of this Agreement and all of which, when taken together, will be deemed to constitute one and the same agreement.  A telecopied facsimile of an executed counterpart of this Agreement, or an electronically transmitted PDF copy of an executed counterpart of this Agreement, shall be sufficient to evidence the binding agreement of each party to the terms hereof.
 
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered as of the day and year written below.

DATED:  ____________, 2015

ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.


__________________________
By:
Title:
Address:     1290 Broadway, Suite 1100
                     Denver CO  80203
Telephone:  303.623.2577
Facsimile:   303.623.7850

[NAME OF AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT]
 
___________________________
By:
Title:
Address:

Telephone:
Facsimile:

ACCEPTED BY: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS TRANSFER AGENT


______________________
By:
Title:
Address:

Telephone:
Facsimile:

 
 
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ANNEX I
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT FOR
ELKHORN ETF TRUST



Fund
Ticker Symbol
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
 
   
   
 
 
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ANNEX II
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST


PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING
PURCHASE ORDERS AND REDEMPTION ORDERS

This Annex II to the Authorized Participant Agreement supplements the Prospectus with respect to the procedures to be used in processing (1) a Purchase Order for the purchase of Shares of Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust”) in Creation Units of each Fund and (2) a Redemption Order for the redemption of Shares of the Trust in Creation Units of each Fund of the Trust. Capitalized terms, unless otherwise defined in this Annex II , have the meanings attributed to them in the Authorized Participant Agreement or the Prospectus.

In order to place a Purchase Order, an Authorized Participant is required to have signed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Upon acceptance of the Authorized Participant Agreement and execution thereof by the Trust and in connection with the initial Purchase Order submitted by the Authorized Participant, the Transfer Agent will assign a PIN Number to each Authorized Person authorized to act for an Authorized Participant. This will allow an Authorized Participant, through its Authorized Person(s), to place a Purchase Order or Redemption Order with respect to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units of Shares of the Trust.
 
 
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ANNEX II – PART A
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST


TO PLACE A PURCHASE ORDER FOR
CREATION UNIT(S) OF SHARES OF ONE OR MORE FUNDS OF
ELKHORN ETF TRUST


1.           PLACING A PURCHASE ORDER.

The Authorized Participant (“AP”) submitting an order to create shall submit such orders containing the information required by the BNYM ETF Administrator in one of the following manners:  (a) through the BNYM ETF Administrator’s electronic order entry system, as such may be made available and constituted from time to time, the use of which shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Electronic Services Agreement, incorporated herein by reference; or (b) by telephone to the BNYM ETF Administrator according to the procedures set forth below. The order so transmitted is hereinafter referred to as the “Purchase Order” and the Business Day on which a Purchase Order is made is hereinafter referred to as the “Order Date.” NOTE THAT COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM OR BY TELEPHONE CALL INITIATES THE ORDER PROCESS BUT DOES NOT ALONE COMPLETE A PURCHASE ORDER. A PURCHASE ORDER IS ONLY COMPLETED UPON ISSUANCE OF A CONFIRMATION NUMBER BY THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR AND TRANSMISSION OF THE WRITTEN PURCHASE ORDER TO THE AP AS DESCRIBED BELOW.

Purchase Orders may be initiated only on days that the Listing Exchange is open for trading.  Purchase Orders may only be made in whole Creation Units of Shares of each Fund of the Trust. A Purchase Order must be initiated by an Authorized Person of the AP before the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange, which is ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “Order Cutoff Time”). The submission of a Purchase Order by the AP to the BNYM ETF Administrator must include the terms of the Purchase Order, the appropriate ticker symbols when referring to each Fund and the PIN Number of the Authorized Person.

If the AP uses the electronic order entry system to initiate a Purchase Order, the system automatically notifies the BNYM ETF Administrator that a Purchase Order has been received. The BNYM ETF Administrator reviews the terms of the Purchase Order and accepts or rejects the order terms within the system.  The system automatically generates and delivers a written Purchase Order to the AP. Such transmission of the written Purchase Order shall indicate approval of the Purchase Order by the BNYM ETF Administrator. If the BNYM ETF Administrator rejects the order, it will promptly notify the AP through the electronic system of the rejection and the reason(s) for such rejection.

To begin a Purchase Order using the telephonic method, the AP must call the BNYM ETF Administrator at (718) 315-7500 or such other number as BNYM may from time to time designate in writing to the AP. The telephone call must be answered and concluded prior to the Order Cutoff Time. During the telephone call, upon verifying the authenticity of the Authorized Person (as determined by the use of the appropriate PIN Number), the BNYM ETF
 
 
- 22 -

 
 
Administrator will request that the AP convey the terms of the Purchase Order, including the appropriate ticker symbols for each Fund, and will record such terms on a written Purchase Order in the form attached hereto as Annex II – Part C . After the AP has placed the Purchase Order, the BNYM ETF Administrator will read the terms of the Purchase Order back to the AP and the AP must confirm that the Purchase Order has been taken correctly by the BNYM ETF Administrator. If the AP confirms that the Purchase Order has been taken correctly, the BNYM ETF Administrator will issue a confirmation number to the AP and, before concluding the call, transmit the written Purchase Order (including the confirmation number) to the AP.

Purchase Orders for select Funds, listed in Annex I , may be placed after the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange and before 5:30 PM Eastern Time on any Business Day. For such Funds, the Order Cutoff Time will be 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Purchase Orders placed for such Funds, if accepted, will receive the next Business Day’s NAV per Creation Unit.

A PURCHASE ORDER IS COMPLETE WHEN THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR ISSUES A CONFIRMATION NUMBER AND TRANSMITS THE WRITTEN PURCHASE ORDER.  A PURCHASE ORDER CANNOT BE CANCELED AFTER THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER HAS BEEN ISSUED. INCOMING TELEPHONE CALLS ARE QUEUED AND WILL BE HANDLED IN THE SEQUENCE RECEIVED. ACCORDINGLY, THE AP SHOULD NOT HANG UP AND REDIAL. CALLS MUST BE CONCLUDED PRIOR TO THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME. CALLS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS OR ARE UNANSWERED IN THE QUEUE AT OR AFTER THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME WILL BE VERBALLY DENIED. INCOMING CALLS THAT ARE RECEIVED AFTER THE APPLICABLE ORDER CUTOFF TIME WILL BE VERBALLY DENIED, AND ANY INCOMING CALLS RECEIVED AFTER THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME WILL NOT BE ANSWERED BY THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR. ALL TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE RECORDED AND TIME-STAMPED BY THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR.

2.           RECEIPT OF TRADE CONFIRMATION.

Subject to the conditions that a properly completed Purchase Order has been placed by the AP not later than the Order Cutoff Time and that the Distributor finds no cause to reject such Purchase Order for the reason(s) listed in Section 3 below, the Distributor will accept the Purchase Order on behalf of the Trust and will confirm in writing to the AP that its Purchase Order has been accepted  within 45 minutes after the designated Order Cutoff Time on the Order Date (e.g., 4:45 PM ET or 6:15 ET, as appropriate). Once the Purchase Order has been approved by the Distributor, the Distributor signs the written Purchase Order (indicating the time of its signature) and transmits that Purchase Order to the BNYM ETF Administrator.

Until such time as the Distributor confirms acceptance thereof, any Purchase Order remains subject to rejection by the Trust for any reason(s) listed in Section 3 below.
 
 
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3.           REJECTING OR SUSPENDING PURCHASE ORDERS.

The Trust and the Distributor reserve the absolute right to reject acceptance of a Purchase Order for the following reasons: (i) the order is not in proper form as determined by the Trust, the BNYM ETF Administrator or the Distributor; (ii) subject to Section 4.1 of this Annex II, Part A, the portfolio of Deposit Securities (and/or cash in lieu of names that the AP is not able to deliver in physical form) delivered is not as specified by the Distributor; (iii) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Trust or any Fund; (iv) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; or (v) circumstances outside the control of Trust, the Distributor or the Transfer Agent make it impossible to process a Purchase Order. The Distributor shall notify the AP of a rejection of any Purchase Order. The Distributor and the Trust are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

The Trust acknowledges its agreement to return to the AP or any party for which it is acting any dividend, distribution or other corporate action paid to the Trust in respect of any Deposit Security that is transferred to the Trust that, based on the valuation of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should have been paid to the AP or any party for which it is acting.

4.           CONTRACTUAL SETTLEMENT.

(a)            Through the CNS Clearing Process :

(1)           Except as provided below, Deposit Securities of any Domestic Fund must be delivered through the NSCC to a DTC account maintained at the Custodian on or before the Domestic Contractual Settlement Date (defined below). The AP must also make available on or before the Contractual Settlement Date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the Purchase Order, together with the applicable purchase Transaction Fee. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit of Shares of the Trust. The “Domestic Contractual Settlement Date” is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Trust and (ii) the trade date plus three (T +3) Business Days. Except as provided in the next two paragraphs, a Creation Unit of Shares of any Fund will be issued through the CNS system and the payment of the Cash Component and the purchase Transaction Fee through CNS in accordance with the terms, conditions and guarantees as set forth in CNS agreements to which the Custodian and AP have entered into.

(2)           The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ( i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount ) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security with respect to any Domestic Fund which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for transfer through the CNS Clearing Process, or which may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC and hence not eligible for transfer through the CNS Clearing Process (discussed below). Additional cost, if any, to acquire the omitted securities will be at the expense of the Participant.
 
 
- 24 -

 

(3)           Any settlement outside the CNS Clearing Process is subject to additional requirements and fees as discussed in the Prospectus.

(b)            Outside the CNS Clearing Process :

(1)           Except as provided below, Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local Subcustodian on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date (defined below).  The AP must also make available on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the Purchase Order, together with the applicable purchase Transaction Fee (as described in the Prospectus). Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit of Shares. The “International Contractual Settlement Date” with respect to each International Fund is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Trust and (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction(s) where any of the securities of such International Fund are customarily traded.

(2)           Except as provided in the next two paragraphs, a Creation Unit of Shares in any International Fund will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the portfolio of Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component and the purchase Transaction Fee have been completed . When the Subcustodian confirms to the Custodian that the required securities included in the Portfolio Deposit (or, when permitted in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant Subcustodian , the Custodian shall will cause the delivery of the Creation Unit of Shares.

(3)           The Trust may in its sole discretion permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ( i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other similar reasons. If the Trust notifies the Distributor that a “cash in lieu” amount will be accepted, the Distributor will notify the AP and the Transfer Agent and the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the “cash in lieu” amount, with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust which may include any difference between the actual cost to the Trust to acquire an omitted security and the value of the security had the security been delivered in kind. Additional amounts, if any, shall be included in the calculation of the Cash Component to be received, any excess amounts will be returned to the AP following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit of Shares.

(4)           In the event that a Portfolio Deposit is incomplete on the settlement date for a Creation Unit of Shares because certain or all of the Deposit Securities are missing, the Trust may issue a Creation Unit of Shares notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing Deposit Securities. The parties hereto agree that the delivery of such collateral shall be made in accordance with the Cash Collateral Settlement Procedures, which such procedures shall be provided to the AP by the Transfer Agent upon request. The parties hereto further agree that the Trust, acting in good faith, may purchase the missing Deposit Securities at any time and the AP agrees to accept liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such
 
 
- 25 -

 
 
securities and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

5.           CASH PURCHASES.

When, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash purchases of Creation Units of Shares are available or specified for a Fund, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a cash purchase or where the cash equivalent value of one or more Deposit Securities is being deposited in lieu of such Deposit Security, the AP must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset the Trust’s brokerage, transaction, and other costs associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the AP may be required to pay and additional Transaction Fee or adjustment as advised by the Trust which may include any difference between the actual cost to the Trust to acquire the Deposit Securities and the value of the Deposit Securities had the Deposit Securities been delivered. Such Transaction Fees and additional amounts, if any, shall be included in the calculation of the Cash Component to be received. Any excess amounts will be returned to the AP following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit of Shares

6.           CUSTOM BASKETS.

The Trust has developed procedures for Creations and Redemptions using baskets of Deposit Securities that differ from that published by NSCC as the then-existing portfolio basket for the Fund (a “Custom Basket”). In order for an AP to deliver or receive a Custom Basket to the Distributor or Transfer Agent and the Trust in connection with a purchase or redemption order rather than the basket of Deposit Securities published by NSCC together with the Cash Amount, any cash in lieu amounts and any other cash fees, the Distributor, Investment Manager, or Trust must notify the AP that the Fund would like to effect the purchase or redemption through a Custom Basket and identify the contents of the Custom Basket on or prior to the time the AP calls with its Purchase Order and the AP must agree to deliver the Custom Basket in connection with the purchase. Prior to trade date, the Transfer Agent must notify NSCC of the Deposit Securities in the custom creation basket.
 
 
- 26 -

 

ANNEX II -- PART B
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST

TO PLACE A REDEMPTION ORDER FOR
CREATION UNIT(S) OF SHARES OF ONE OR MORE FUNDS OF
ELKHORN ETF TRUST

1.           PLACING A REDEMPTION ORDER.

The AP submitting a request to redeem shall submit such request containing the information required by the BNYM ETF Administrator in one of the following manners: (a) through the BNYM ETF Administrator’s electronic order entry system, as such may be made available and constituted from time to time, the use of which shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Electronic Services Agreement, incorporated herein by reference; or (b) by telephone to the BNYM ETF Administrator according to the procedures set forth below. The request so transmitted is hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Order” and the Business Day on which a Redemption Order is made is hereinafter referred to as the “Order Date.”  NOTE THAT COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM OR BY TELEPHONE CALL INITIATES THE ORDER PROCESS BUT DOES NOT ALONE COMPLETE A REDEMPTION ORDER. A REDEMPTION ORDER IS ONLY COMPLETED UPON ISSUANCE OF A CONFIRMATION NUMBER AND TRANSMISSION OF THE WRITTEN REDEMPTION ORDER TO THE AP AS DESCRIBED BELOW.

Redemption Orders may be initiated only on days that the Listing Exchange is open for trading.  Redemption Orders may only be made in whole Creation Units of Shares of each Fund. A Redemption Order may be initiated by an Authorized Person of the AP (of the Trust) before the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange, which is ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “Order Cutoff Time”). The submission of a Redemption Order by the AP to the BNYM ETF Administrator must include the terms of the Redemption Order, the appropriate ticker symbols for each Fund and the PIN Number of the Authorized Person.

If the AP uses the electronic order entry system to initiate a Redemption Order, the system automatically notifies the BNYM ETF Administrator of the receipt of such Redemption Order. The BNYM ETF Administrator reviews the electronic Redemption Order and accepts or rejects the order terms within the system.  The system automatically generates and delivers a written Redemption Order to the AP. Such transmission of the Redemption Order shall indicate approval of the Redemption Order by the BNYM ETF Administrator. If the BNYM ETF Administrator rejects the order, it will promptly notify the AP through the electronic system of the rejection and the reason(s) for such rejection.

To begin a Redemption Order using the telephonic method, the AP must call the BNYM ETF Administrator at (718) 315-7500 or such other number as the BNYM ETF Administrator may from time to time designate in writing to the AP. The telephone call must be answered and concluded prior to the Order Cutoff Time. During the telephone call, upon verifying the authenticity of the Authorized Person (as determined by the use of the appropriate PIN Number), the BNYM ETF Administrator will request that the AP convey the terms of the
 
 
- 27 -

 
 
Redemption Order, including the appropriate ticker symbols for each Fund, and will record the terms of the Redemption Order on the form attached hereto as Annex II – Part C . After the AP has placed the Redemption Order, the BNYM ETF Administrator reads the terms of the Redemption Order back to the AP. The AP then must confirm that the Redemption Order has been taken correctly by the BNYM ETF Administrator. If the AP confirms that the Redemption Order has been taken correctly, the BNYM ETF Administrator will issue a confirmation number to the AP and, before concluding the call, will transmit the written Redemption Order (including the confirmation number) to the AP.

Redemption Orders placed after the closing time of the regular trading session on the Listing Exchange, if accepted, will receive the next Business Day’s NAV per Creation Unit.

A REDEMPTION ORDER IS COMPLETE WHEN THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR ISSUES THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER AND TRANSMITS THE WRITTEN PURCHASE ORDER.  INCOMING TELEPHONE CALLS ARE QUEUED AND WILL BE HANDLED IN THE SEQUENCE RECEIVED. ACCORDINGLY, THE AP SHOULD NOT HANG UP AND REDIAL. CALLS MUST BE CONCLUDED PRIOR TO THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME TO BE PROCESSED ON THE ORDER DATE AND AT THE ORDER DATE’S NAV. FOR CALLS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS OR ARE UNANSWERED IN THE QUEUE AT OR AFTER THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME, THE BNYM ETF REPRESENTATIVE WILL VERBALLY ALERT THE AP THAT THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME HAS PASSED AND THAT THE REDEMPTION ORDER CAN NO LONGER BE PROCESSED ON THE ORDER DATE. ALL TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE RECORDED AND TIME STAMPED BY THE BNYM ETF ADMINISTRATOR.

2.           RECEIPT OF CONFIRMATION.

Subject to the condition that a properly completed Redemption Order has been placed by the AP not later than the Order Cutoff Time, the Distributor will accept the Redemption Order on behalf of the Trust and will confirm in writing to the AP that its Redemption Order has been accepted within 45 minutes after the designated Order Cutoff Time on the Business Day that the Redemption Order is received (e.g., 4:45 PM ET or 6:15 ET, as appropriate). If a Redemption Order is completed after the Order Cutoff Time on the Order Date, the Distributor will accept the Redemption Order for processing on the next-following Business Day within 45 minutes of receiving the completed Redemption Order.  The Distributor signs the approved written Redemption Order (indicating the time of its signature) and sends it to the BNYM ETF Administrator.

3.           TAKING DELIVERY OF DEPOSIT SECURITIES.

The Deposit Securities constituting in-kind redemption proceeds will be delivered to the appropriate account, which must be indicated in the AP’s Standing Redemption Instructions. An Authorized Person of the AP may amend the AP’s Standing Redemption Instructions from time to time by writing to the BNYM ETF Administrator and the Trust in a form approved by the Trust. A redeeming Beneficial Owner or the AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain an appropriate securities broker-dealer, bank or other custody arrangements to which account such Deposit Securities will be delivered. Redemptions of Shares for Deposit Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws.
 
 
- 28 -

 

4.           CONTRACTUAL SETTLEMENT.

(a)            Through the CNS Clearing Process :

(1)           Except as provided below, the Shares of any Domestic Fund must be delivered through the NSCC to a DTC account maintained at the applicable custodian of any Domestic Fund on or before the Domestic Contractual Settlement Date (defined below). The Trust will make available on the Domestic Contractual Settlement Date the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the Redemption Order, less the applicable Transaction Fee. The “Domestic Contractual Settlement Date” is the date upon which all of the required Shares must be delivered to the Trust and, the Deposit Securities, any cash in lieu amounts and Cash Component less any fees are delivered by the Trust to the AP (ordinarily trade date plus three (T + 3) Business Days). Except as provided in the next two paragraphs, the Deposit Securities representing Creation Units of Shares and any cash component will be delivered concurrently with the transfer of good title to the Trust of the required number of Shares through the NSCC’s Continuous Net Settlement (CNS) system and the delivery of the Cash Component less the Transaction Fee through CNS ;

(2)           The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ( i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount ) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security with respect to a Fund which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for transfer through the CNS Clearing Process, or which may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC and hence not eligible for transfer through the CNS Clearing Process (discussed below) and will be at the expense of the Fund and will affect the value of all Shares of such Fund; but the Trust, subject to the approval of the Board, may adjust the Transaction Fee within the parameters described below to protect ongoing shareholders. Any settlement outside the CNS Clearing Process is subject to additional requirements and fees as discussed in the Prospectus.

(3)           In the event that the number of Shares is insufficient on the settlement date for Creation Unit(s) of Shares, the Trust may deliver the Deposit Securities notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the AP’s undertaking to deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing Shares.  The parties hereto agree that the delivery of such collateral shall be made in accordance with the Cash Collateral Settlement procedures, which such procedures shall be provided to the AP by the BNYM ETF Administrator upon request.  The parties hereto further agree that the Trust, acting in good faith, may purchase the missing Shares at any time and the AP agrees to accept liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such Shares and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

(b)            Outside the CNS Clearing Process :

(1)           Except as provided below, the Shares must be delivered to an account maintained at the Custodian on or before the Business Day immediately following the date on which the NAV of the redemption was calculated. The Trust will also make
 
 
- 29 -

 
 
 
available on the International Contractual Settlement Date, immediately available or same day funds sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the Redemption Order, less the applicable Transaction Fee (as described in the Prospectus). The “International Contractual Settlement Date” of an International Fund is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the Deposit Securities are delivered to the AP and (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction(s) where the any of the securities of such International Fund are customarily traded.
 
(2)           Deliveries of redemption proceeds by a Fund generally will be made within three (3) Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind Deposit Securities of International Funds may take longer than three Business Days after the day on which the Redemption Order is placed.

(3)           Except as provided in the next two paragraphs, the Deposit Securities will not be delivered until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the required Creation Unit(s) of Shares has been completed .  When the Custodian confirms that the required Shares or, when permitted in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash collateral has been received by the account , the Custodian will cause the delivery of the Deposit Securities.

(4)           The Trust may in its sole discretion permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ( i.e. , a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other similar reasons. If the Trust notifies the Distributor that a “cash in lieu” amount will be delivered, the Distributor will notify the AP and the AP shall receive the “cash in lieu” amount, with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. The AP may also elect to replace any Deposit Securities with a “cash in lieu” amount to the extent that the AP is not authorized to purchase the particular Deposit Securities from the Fund or is not able to sell the particular Deposit Securities in the secondary market, consistent with restrictions in applicable law or the AP’s internal policies and procedures.

(5)           In the event that the number of Shares is insufficient on the settlement date for Creation Unit(s) of Shares (Order Date +1), the Trust may deliver the Deposit Securities notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the AP’s undertaking to deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such AP’s delivery on Order Date +1 and subsequent maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to115% of the value of the missing Shares.  The parties hereto agree that the delivery of such collateral shall be made in accordance with the Cash Collateral Settlement procedures, which such procedures shall be provided to the AP by the BNYM ETF Administrator upon request.  The parties hereto further agree that the Trust, acting in good faith, may purchase the missing Shares at any time and the AP agrees to accept liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such Shares and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

5.             CASH REDEMPTIONS .
 
 
- 30 -

 
 
 
In the event that, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Trust, proceeds will be paid to the AP redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption.

6.           STANDING REDEMPTION INSTRUCTIONS.

Annex V hereto contains the AP’s Standing Redemption Instructions, which include information identifying the account(s) into which Deposit Securities of each Fund and any other redemption proceeds should be delivered by the Trust pursuant to a Redemption Order.
 
 
- 31 -

 

ANNEX II – PART C
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST

FORM OF PURCHASE/REDEMPTION ORDER

To be completed by the Transfer Agent with each Purchase Order or Redemption Order:

1.  
Name of Transfer Agent: ________________________________________
 
2.  
Name of Authorized Participant: ________________________________________
 
PIN Number of Authorized Person: ___________________
 
3.  
Type of Order (check one): [  ] Purchase (Creation)          [  ] Redemption
 
Amount (Creation Units):     ___________________
 
Amount Written Out:   ___________________
 
4.  
Confirmation Number: ___________________
 

_______________________________________ _________________
Authorized Signature*                                                       Time and Date

To be completed by the Authorized Participant with each Purchase Order or Redemption Order:

The undersigned, as an Authorized Person for the Authorized Participant, hereby certifies that:
 
[  ] the order terms above are complete and accurate, and that the Authorized Participant accepts and approves this order, OR
 
[  ] the order terms above are incorrect and the Authorized Participant accepts and approves this order corrected as follows and subject to review and countersignature below by the Transfer Agent:
 
_______________________________________________________________
 
_______________________________________________________________
 
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________ _________________
Authorized Signature*                                                       Time and Date

To be completed by the Transfer Agent if the Authorized Participant has indicated a correction above:

The undersigned has reviewed the correction(s) indicated above and accepts and approves this corrected order on behalf of the Transfer Agent.

_______________________________________ _________________
Authorized Signature*                                                       Time and Date

* Signatures may be conformed if this document is transmitted by electronic mail by the authorized signatory.

ANY PURCHASE ORDER REMAINS SUBJECT TO REJECTION BY THE DISTRIBUTOR OR THE TRUST FOR ANY REASON AS DESCRIBED IN THE SECTION 3 OF ANNEX II.
 
 
- 32 -

 
 
ANNEX III – PART A
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST


FORM OF LIST OF CERTIFIED AUTHORIZED
PERSONS OF THE AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT

The following are the names, titles, signatures , phone numbers, and email addresses of all persons (each an “Authorized Person”) authorized to give instructions relating to any activity contemplated by this Authorized Participant Agreement for Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Agreement”) or any other notice, request or instruction on behalf of the Authorized Participant pursuant to the Agreement.

Authorized Participant:

Name:      __________________                                                                                             Name:      __________________
Title:     __________________                                                                                                Title:     __________________
 
Signature: __________________                                                                                           Signature: __________________
Phone:      __________________                                                                                           Phone:   __________________
Email:  __________________                                                                                                Email:   __________________

Name:      __________________                                                                                             Name:      __________________
Title:     __________________                                                                                                Title:     __________________
 
Signature: __________________                                                                                            Signature: __________________
Phone:  __________________                                                                                                Phone:  __________________
Email:  __________________                                                                                                 Email:  __________________

Name:      __________________                                                                                             Name:      __________________
Title:     __________________                                                                                                Title:     __________________
 
Signature: __________________                                                                                            Signature: __________________
Phone:  __________________                                                                                                Phone:  __________________
Email:  __________________                                                                                                 Email:  __________________


Date:    _________________
 
Certified By: _________________

Name: _________________

Title:   ___________________
 
 
- 33 -

 


ANNEX III- PART B
TO AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST

[On AP’s Firm Letterhead]
[DATE]
The Bank of New York Mellon
Attn: ETF Services
[___________]
New York, NY [_____]

Re:
Addendum to the Certificate of Authorized Persons for [Name of AP] under the Authorized Participant Agreement for the Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Agreement”)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the Agreement, following are the names, titles, signatures, phone numbers, and email addresses of additional Authorized Persons (as defined in the Agreement) of [Name of AP] (the “AP”) authorized to give instructions relating to any activity contemplated by the Agreement or any other notice, request or instruction on behalf of the AP pursuant to the Agreement.  This list of Authorized Persons is an addendum and adds Authorized Persons to the AP’s most recently executed certificate (entitled “Certified Authorized Persons of the Authorized Participant, Elkhorn ETF Trust”) preceding the date set forth above.
 
Name:
Title:
 
Signature:
Phone:                                                      
Email:     
                                         
Name:                      
Title:
 
Signature:
Phone:                                                      
Email:                                        
Name:                                                      
Title:
 
Signature:                                                      
Phone:                                                      
Email:                                                 
Name:                                                      
Title:
 
Signature:                                                      
Phone:                                                      
Email:                                       

Please provide PIN numbers for those listed above.

Very truly yours,

___________________

 
 
- 34 -

 
 
ANNEX IV
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST


INTERNATIONAL FUND SUBCUSTODIAN ACCOUNTS FOR
DELIVERY OF DEPOSIT SECURITIES

The Subcustodian accounts into which an AP should deposit the securities constituting the Deposit Securities of each International Fund of Elkhorn ETF Trust are set forth below:

__________________
[Name of Fund]
Account Name:                                __________________
Account Number:                             __________________
Other Reference Number:               __________________

__________________
[Name of Fund]
Account Name:                                __________________
Account Number:                            __________________
Other Reference Number:              __________________

__________________
[Name of Fund]
Account Name:                                __________________
Account Number:                            __________________
Other Reference Number:              __________________

__________________
[Name of Fund]
Account Name:                                __________________
Account Number:                             __________________
Other Reference Number:               __________________

__________________
[Name of Fund]
Account Name:                                __________________
Account Number:                            __________________
Other Reference Number:              __________________
 
 
- 35 -

 
 
ANNEX V
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST

THE AP ACCOUNTS
FOR DELIVERY OF DEPOSIT SECURITIES

The accounts into which Elkhorn ETF Trust should deposit the securities constituting the Deposit Securities of each Fund upon redemption by the AP are set forth below:

Name of AP:                     __________________
Account Name:                 __________________
Account Number:             __________________
Other Reference Number: __________________

 
 
- 36 -

 


ANNEX VI
TO
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT
FOR ELKHORN ETF TRUST
 
 
 
ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Annex shall govern use by an Authorized Participant of the electronic order entry system for placing Purchase Orders and Redemption Orders for Shares (the “System”).  Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Authorized Participant Agreement (the “AP Agreement”).  In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Annex VI and the main body of the AP Agreement with respect to the placing of Purchase Orders and Redemption Orders, the terms of this Annex VI shall control.

1.           (a) Authorized Participant shall provide to the Transfer Agent a duly executed authorization letter, in a form satisfactory to Transfer Agent, identifying those Authorized Persons who will access the System.  Authorized Participant  shall notify the Transfer Agent promptly in writing, including, but not limited to, by electronic mail, in the event that any person’s status as an Authorized Person is revoked or terminated, in order to give the Transfer Agent a reasonable opportunity to terminate such Authorized Person’s access to the System.  The Transfer Agent shall promptly revoke access of such Authorized Person to the electronic entry systems through which Purchase Orders and Redemption are submitted by such person on behalf of the Authorized Participant.
 
              (b) It is understood and agreed that each Authorized Person shall be designated as an authorized user of Authorized Participant  for the purpose of the AP Agreement. Upon termination of the AP Agreement, the Authorized Participant ’s and each Authorized Person’s access rights with respect to System shall be immediately revoked.
 
2.           Transfer Agent grants to Authorized Participant  a personal, nontransferable and nonexclusive license to use the System solely for the purpose of transmitting Purchase Orders and Redemption Orders and otherwise communicating with Transfer Agent in connection with the same.  Authorized Participant  shall use the System solely for its own internal and proper business purposes.  Except as set forth herein, no license or right of any kind is granted to Authorized Participant  with respect to the System.  Authorized Participant  acknowledges that Transfer Agent and its suppliers retain and have title and exclusive proprietary rights to the System.  Authorized Participant  further acknowledges that all or a part of the System may be copyrighted or trademarked (or a registration or claim made therefor) by Transfer Agent or its suppliers.  Authorized Participant  shall not take any action with respect to the System inconsistent with the foregoing acknowledgments.  Authorized Participant  may not copy, distribute, sell, lease or provide, directly or indirectly, the System or any portion thereof to any other person or entity without Transfer Agent’s prior written consent.  Authorized Participant  may not remove any statutory copyright notice or other notice included in the System.  Authorized Participant  shall reproduce any such notice on any reproduction of any portion of the System and shall add any statutory copyright notice or other notice upon Transfer Agent’s request.
 
3.           (a) Authorized Participant acknowledges that any user manuals or other documentation (whether in hard copy or electronic form) (collectively, the “Material”), which
 
 
- 37 -

 
 
is delivered or made available to Authorized Participant  regarding the System is the exclusive and confidential property of Transfer Agent.  Authorized Participant  shall keep the Material confidential by using the same care and discretion that Authorized Participant  uses with respect to its own confidential property and trade secrets, but in no event less than reasonable care.  Authorized Participant  may make such copies of the Material as is reasonably necessary for Authorized Participant  to use the System and shall reproduce Transfer Agent’s proprietary markings on any such copy.  The foregoing shall not in any way be deemed to affect the copyright status of any of the Material which may be copyrighted and shall apply to all Material whether or not copyrighted.  TRANSFER AGENT AND ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, CONCERNING THE MATERIAL OR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
(b) Upon termination of the Agreement for any reason, Authorized Participant  shall return to Transfer Agent all copies of the Material which is in Authorized Participant ’s possession or under its control.
 
4.           Authorized Participant  agrees that it shall have sole responsibility for maintaining adequate security and control of the user IDs, passwords and codes for access to the System, which shall not be disclosed to any third party without the prior written consent of Transfer Agent.  Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the information received by it from the Authorized Participant  and Transfer Agent may assume that all such information was transmitted by or on behalf of an Authorized Person regardless of by whom it was actually transmitted, unless the Authorized Participant shall have notified the Transfer Agent a reasonable time prior that such person is not an Authorized Person.
 
5.           Transfer Agent shall have no liability in connection with the use of the System, the access granted to the Authorized Participant  and its Authorized Persons hereunder, or any transaction effected or attempted to be effected by the Authorized Participant hereunder, except for damages incurred by the Authorized Participant  as a direct result of Transfer Agent’s negligence or willful misconduct.  WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, IT IS HEREBY AGREED THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL TRANSFER AGENT OR ANY MANUFACTURER OR SUPPLIER OF EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE OR SERVICES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHICH THE AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT MAY INCUR OR EXPERIENCE BY REASON OF ITS HAVING ENTERED INTO OR RELIED ON THIS AGREEMENT, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACCESS GRANTED TO THE AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT HEREUNDER, OR ANY TRANSACTION EFFECTED OR ATTEMPTED TO BE EFFECTED BY THE AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANT HEREUNDER, EVEN IF TRANSFER AGENT OR SUCH MANUFACTURER OR SUPPLIER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, NOR SHALL TRANSFER AGENT OR ANY SUCH MANUFACTURER OR SUPPLIER BE LIABLE FOR ACTS OF GOD, MACHINE OR COMPUTER BREAKDOWN OR MALFUNCTION, INTERRUPTION OR MALFUNCTION OF COMMUNICATION FACILITIES, LABOR DIFFICULTIES OR ANY OTHER SIMILAR OR DISSIMILAR CAUSE BEYOND SUCH PERSON’S REASONABLE CONTROL.
 
6.           Transfer Agent reserves the right to revoke Authorized Participant ’s access to the System, with written notice, upon any breach by the Authorized Participant  of the terms and conditions of this Annex VI.
 
 
- 38 -

 
 
7.           Transfer Agent shall acknowledge through the System its receipt of each Purchase Order or Redemption Order communicated through the System, and in the absence of such acknowledgment Transfer Agent shall not be liable for any failure to act in accordance with such orders and Authorized Participant  may not claim that such Purchase Order or Redemption Order was received by Transfer Agent.  Transfer Agent may in its discretion decline to act upon any instructions or communications that are insufficient or incomplete or are not received by Transfer Agent in sufficient time for Transfer Agent to act upon, or in accordance with such instructions or communications.
 
8.           Authorized Participant  agrees to use reasonable efforts consistent with its own procedures used in the ordinary course of business to prevent the transmission through the System of any software or file which contains any viruses, worms, harmful component or corrupted data and agrees not to use any device, software, or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Systems.
 
9.           Authorized Participant  acknowledges and agrees that encryption may not be available for every communication through the System, or for all data.  Authorized Participant  agrees that Transfer Agent may deactivate any encryption features at any time, without notice or liability to Authorized Participant , for the purpose of maintaining, repairing or troubleshooting its systems.
 
- 39 -
 

 



 April 28, 2015

Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 South Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

Re:            Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special Massachusetts counsel to Elkhorn ETF Trust   (the "Trust") on behalf of its series, Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund”), in connection with the Trust's Pre-Effective Amendment to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about April 28, 2015 (as proposed to be amended, the "Registration Statement") with respect to the Fund’s common shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value per share (the "Shares").
 
 
In connection with the furnishing of this opinion, we have examined the following documents:
 
(a)           a certificate of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as to the existence of the Trust;
 
(b)           a copy, stamped as filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 14, 2015, of the Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated as of April 7, 2015 (the "Declaration");
 
(c)           a copy, as filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 14, 2015,  as Schedule A to the Declaration, of the Trust’s Designation of Series (the "Designation");
 
(d)           a certificate executed by an appropriate officer of the Trust, certifying as to, and attaching copies of, the Trust's Declaration, Designation, the Trust’s By-laws and certain resolutions adopted by the Trustees of the Trust at a meeting held on April 7, 2015 (the "Resolutions"); and
 
(e)           a draft received on April 27, 2015 of the Registration Statement.
 
In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to the originals of all of the documents reviewed by us as copies, the authenticity and completeness of all original documents
 
 
 

 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
April 28, 2015
Page 2  of 3

reviewed by us in original or copy form and the legal competence of each individual executing any document.  We have also assumed that the Registration Statement, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, will be in substantially the form of the draft referred to in paragraph (e) above.  We have further assumed that the Trust’s Declaration, Designation, By-laws and the Resolutions will not have been amended, modified or withdrawn with respect to matters relating to the Shares and will be in full force and effect on the date of the issuance of such Shares.
 
This opinion is based entirely on our review of the documents listed above and such investigation of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate.  We have made no other review or investigation of any kind whatsoever, and we have assumed, without independent inquiry, the accuracy of the information set forth in such documents.
 
As to any opinion below relating to the due formation or existence of the Trust under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, our opinion relies entirely upon and is limited by the certificate of public officials referred to in (a) above.
 
This opinion is limited solely to the internal substantive laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as applied by courts located in Massachusetts (other than Massachusetts securities laws, as to which we express no opinion), to the extent that the same may apply to or govern the transactions referred to herein.  No opinion is given herein as to the choice of law, which any tribunal may apply to such transaction.  In addition, to the extent that the Trust’s Declaration, Designation or By-laws refer to, incorporate or require compliance with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), or any other law or regulation applicable to the Trust, except for the internal substantive laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as aforesaid, we have assumed compliance by the Trust with such Act and such other laws and regulations.
 
We understand that all of the foregoing assumptions and limitations are acceptable to you.
 
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, please be advised that it is our opinion that:
 
1.           The Trust has been duly formed and is existing under the Trust's Declaration and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a voluntary association with transferable shares of beneficial interest commonly referred to as a "Massachusetts business trust."
 
 
 
 

 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
April 28, 2015
Page 3 of 3
 
2.           The Shares, when issued and sold in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration, Designation and the Resolutions and for the consideration described in the Registration Statement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, except that, as set forth in the Registration Statement, shareholders of the Trust may under certain circumstances be held personally liable for its obligations.
 
This opinion is given as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update this opinion to reflect any changes in law or any other facts or circumstances which may hereafter come to our attention.  We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.  In rendering this opinion and giving this consent, we do not concede that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
Very truly yours,
 

 
MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP


 
[On Chapman and Cutler LLP letterhead]
 
 
April 28, 2015
 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
207 Reber Street, Suite 201
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

 
  Re: Elkhorn ETF Trust  
 
Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
We have served as counsel for the Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust” ), which proposes to offer and sell shares of its series (the “Shares” ), Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio (the “Fund” ), in the manner and on the terms set forth in Amendment No. 1 and Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on or about April 28, 2015 (the “Amendment” ) with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, respectively.
 
In connection therewith, we have examined such pertinent records and documents and matters of law, including the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP issued to the Trust or Trust’s counsel upon which we have relied as they relate to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as we have deemed necessary in order to enable us to express the opinion hereinafter set forth.
 
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
 
The Shares of the Fund may be issued from time to time in accordance with the Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated April 7, 2015 and the Trust’s By-Laws, and subject to compliance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and applicable state laws regulating the sale of securities and the receipt by the Fund of the purchase price of not less than the net asset value per Share, and such Shares, when so issued and sold by the Fund, will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable, except that, as set forth in the Amendment, shareholders of the Fund may under certain circumstances be held personally liable for its obligations.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
April 28, 2015
Page 2
 
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (File No. 333-201473) relating to the Shares referred to above, to the use of our name and to the reference to our firm in said Registration Statement.
 

 
 
Respectfully submitted,
 

 

 
Chapman and Cutler LLP
 
C ONSENT OF I NDEPENDENT R EGISTERED P UBLIC A CCOUNTING F IRM

We have issued our report dated April 28, 2015, with respect to the financial statement of the Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio, which comprises the Elkhorn ETF Trust, contained in this Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement No. 333-201473 on Form N-1A (the “Registration Statement”). We consent to the use of the aforementioned report in the Registration Statement, and to the use of our name as it appears under the captions “Fund Service Providers” in the Prospectus and “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” and “Financial Statements” in the Statement of Additional Information which is part of such Registration Statement.


/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP

Chicago, Illinois
April 28, 2015
Elkhorn ETF Trust
Distribution and Service Plan
 
1. The Trust.   Elkhorn ETF Trust (the “Trust” ) is an open-end management investment company registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ), and organized as a series trust (each such series is referred to herein as a “Fund” ).
 
2. The Plan. The Trust desires to adopt a plan of distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to the shares of beneficial interest ( “Shares” ) of certain of the Funds which are identified in Exhibit A hereof, and the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” ) has determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that adoption of this Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan” ) will benefit each such Fund (the “Designated Funds” ) and its holders of Shares.  Accordingly, on behalf of each Designated Fund, the Trust hereby adopts this Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act on the following terms and conditions (capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned thereto in the Trust’s registration statement under the 1940 Act and under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as such registration statement is amended by any amendments thereto at the time in effect).
 
3. The Distributor. The Trust has entered into a written Distribution Agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor” ), pursuant to which the Distributor will act as the exclusive distributor with respect to the creation and distribution of Creation Unit size aggregations of Shares as described in the Trust’s registration statement ( “Creation Units” ) of each Fund.
 
4. Payments. (a) The Trust may pay a monthly fee not to exceed 0.25% per annum of each Fund’s average daily net assets to reimburse the Distributor for actual amounts expended to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of each Fund or the provision of investor services, including but not limited to (i) delivering copies of the Trust’s then-current prospectus to prospective purchasers of such Creation Units, statement of additional information or annual or semi-annual reports relating to the Trust; (ii) marketing and promotional services including advertising; (iii) facilitating communications with beneficial owners of shares of the Trust, including providing explanations to owners regarding fund investment objectives and policies and other information about the Trust or any Funds thereof; (iv) delivering any notices of shareholder meetings and proxy statements accompanying such notices in connection with general and special meetings of interest holders of the Trust; and (v) such other services and obligations as are set forth in the Distribution Agreement.  Such payments shall be made within ten (10) days of the end of each calendar month.  The determination of daily net assets shall be made at the close of business each day throughout the month and computed in the manner specified in the then current Prospectus for the determination of the net asset value of Creation Units.
 
(b) Distribution expenses incurred in any one year in excess of 0.25% of each Fund’s average daily net assets may be reimbursed in subsequent years subject to the annual 0.25% limit and subject further to the approval of the Board of Trustees including a majority of the Trustees
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan or in any agreement related to this Plan (the “Independent Trustees” ).
 
(c) The Distributor may use all or any portion of the amount received pursuant to this Plan to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are Authorized Participants for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services, pursuant to agreements with the Distributor, or to pay any of the expenses associated with other activities authorized under paragraph 4(a) hereof.
 
(d) Elkhorn Investments, LLC may use any portion of its advisory fee to compensate dealers, including the Distributor, for expenses incurred in connection with the sales and distribution of a Fund’s shares, including, without limitation, compensation of its sales force, expenses of printing and distributing prospectuses to persons other than shareholders, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing advertising and sales literature and reports to shareholders used in connection with the sale of a Fund’s share, certain other expenses associated with the distribution of shares of a Fund, and any distribution-related expenses that may be authorized from time to time by the Board of Trustees.
 
All such expenses covered by the Plan shall be deemed incurred whether paid directly by the Distributor or by a third party to the extent reimbursed therefor by the Distributor.
 
5. Effective Date.   This Plan shall become effective upon approval by a vote of both a majority of the Board of Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan.
 
6. Term.   This Plan shall, unless terminated as hereinafter provided, remain in effect with respect to the Designated Fund for one year from its effective date and shall continue thereafter, provided that its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of both a majority of the Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan.
 
7. Amendment.   This Plan may be amended at any time by the Board of Trustees, provided that (a) any amendment to increase materially the amount to be spent for the services provided for in paragraph 4 hereof shall be effective only upon approval by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Designated Fund, and (b) any material amendment of this Plan shall be effective only upon approval by a vote of both a majority of the Board of Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such amendment.
 
8. Termination. This Plan may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Designated Fund.  In the event of termination or non-continuance of this Plan, the Trust may reimburse any expense which it incurred prior to such termination or non-continuance, provided that such
 
 
 
-2-

 
 
 
reimbursement is specifically approved by both a majority of the Board of Trustees and a majority of the Independent Trustees.
 
9. Assignment.   This Plan will not be terminated by an assignment, however, an assignment will terminate any agreement under the Plan involving any such assignment.
 
10. Reports. While this Plan is in effect, the Distributor shall provide to the Trustees, and the Trustees shall review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts expended pursuant to the Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
 
11. Records.   The Trust shall preserve copies of this Plan, each agreement related hereto and each report referred to in paragraph 9 hereof for a period of at least six years from the date of the Plan, agreement and report, the first two years in an easily accessible place.
 
12. Independent Trustees.   While this Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of Independent Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act).
 
13. Severability.   If any provision of the Plan shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the Plan shall not be affected thereby.

 
 
-3-

 
 
 
Exhibit A
(as of [  ], 2015)
 
Fund
 
Effective Date
Elkhorn S&P 500 Capital Expenditures Portfolio
[  ], 2015


 
Elkhorn Investments, LLC
 
Code of Ethics
 
September 1, 2013
 
 
 
 

 


Table of Contents
 
 
Section Heading
Page
 
I. 
Introduction
1
 
II. 
Additional Definitions
2
 
III.
General Principles
4
 
IV.
Standards of Business Conduct
5
 
 
A.
Fiduciary Standards
5
 
B.  Compliance with Laws and Company Policies
5
 
C.  Conflicts of Interest
6
 
D.  Gifts and Entertainment
6
 
E.  Outside Directorships and Business Activities 
6
 
F.  Protection of Confidential Information 
7
 
G.  Payments to Government Officials and Political Contributions 
7
 
V. 
Insider Trading
7
 
 
A. 
Insider Trading
7
 
B. 
Insider Status
8
 
C. 
Material Nonpublic Information
8
 
D. 
Identifying Inside Information
8
 
E. 
Reporting Suspected Inside Information
9
 
VI. 
Personal Securities Transactions
9
 
 
A. 
Trading Restrictions for All Access Persons
9
 
1.       Initial Public Offerings
9
 
2.       Limited Offerings
9
 
3.       Other Securities
 10
 
4.       Securities Being Purchased or Sold in Client Accounts
 10
 
B. 
Additional Trading Restrictions for Investment Persons
10
 
1.       Securities Eligible for Purchase or Sale by Client Accounts
 10
 
2.       Securities Traded Within Seven Days Before or After a Client Transaction
10
 
C. 
Other Trading Restrictions
 10
 
1.       Transactions in Shares of Certain Closed-End Funds and Similar Pooled Vehicles
  10
 
2.       Non-Interested Directors of the Elkhorn Funds
11
 
3.       Frequent Trading in Shares of Certain Open-End Funds
11
 
4.       Excessive or Abusive Trading
11
 
D.
Pre-clearance Procedures and Access Person Trade Monitoring
11
 
E. 
Reporting Requirements
12
 
 
1.       General Reporting Requirements
12
 
 
 
-i-

 
 
 
 
 
2.       Initial Holdings Report
12
 
 
3.       Annual Holdings Report
12
 
 
4.       Quarterly Transaction Reports
13
 
5.       Transaction Reports of Non-Interested Elkhorn Fund Directors
  13
 
6.       Reporting Holdings and Transactions in Certain Open-End Funds
  13
 
7.       Brokerage Statements
14
 
8.       Form of Holdings and Transaction Reports
14
 
F.
Exceptions to Reporting Requirements
14
 
G.
Procedures
  14
 
1.       Notification of Status as Investment Person
14
 
2.       Maintenance of Access Person Master List
14
 
3.       Procedure for Requesting Prior Written Approval
15
 
        4.       Monitoring of Personal Securities Transactions
15
 
5.       Section 16 Officers Additional Reporting
15
 
VII.
Administration and Enforcement
15
 
A. Approval of Code
15
 
B. Reporting to the Elkhorn Fund Board
16
 
C. Duty to Report Violations
16
 
D. Sanctions for Violation of the Code
16
 
E. Form ADV Disclosure
17
 
F. Interpretation of the Code and the Granting of Waivers
17
 
VIII.
Recordkeeping
17
 
Schedule  I       Elkhorn Subsidiaries Adopting this Code
Schedule  II     Designated Compliance Officers
Schedule  III   Open-End Funds Advised or Sub-Advised by Elkhorn
 
 
 
-ii-

 
 
 
I. Introduction
 
This Code of Ethics ( “Code” ) is adopted by Elkhorn Investments, LLC ( “Elkhorn” ) and its subsidiaries identified on Schedule I hereto, as may be amended from time to time (each an “Elkhorn Subsidiary” in recognition of their fiduciary obligations to clients and in accordance with Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act” ), and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ).  Among other things, these rules require a registered investment adviser to establish, maintain and enforce a written code of ethics that includes:
 
 
Standards of business conduct designed to reflect the adviser’s fiduciary obligations as well as those of its employees (including persons who provide investment advice on behalf of the adviser and who are subject to the adviser’s supervision and control);
 
 
• 
Provisions requiring access persons to comply with applicable federal securities laws;
 
 
• 
Provisions designed to detect and prevent improper personal trading;
 
 
• 
Provisions requiring access persons to make periodic reports of their personal securities transactions and holdings and requiring the adviser to review such reports;
 
 
• 
Provisions requiring access persons to report any violations under the code of ethics promptly to the chief compliance officer or other designated persons; and
 
 
• 
Provisions requiring the adviser to provide to each of its access persons a copy of the code of ethics and any amendments and requiring access persons to provide a written acknowledgment of receipt.
 
This Code designates all Elkhorn’s employees as “access persons” (as defined in Section II).
 
Elkhorn and each Elkhorn Subsidiary, through its compliance officers, legal officers and/or other personnel designated on Schedule II hereto ( “Designated Compliance Officers” ) shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of this Code with respect to those access persons under the direct supervision and control of Elkhorn or an Elkhorn Subsidiary.
 
In addition, this Code is adopted by each “Elkhorn Fund” and such Fund’s “non-interested directors” (each as defined in Section II).
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
II. Additional Definitions
 
“Access Person” means all Elkhorn employees and independent contractors.  This standard is more restrictive than Rule 204A-1(e)(1) under the Advisers Act and Rule 17j-1(a)(2) under the 1940 Act.
 
“Automatic investment plan” means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation.  An automatic investment plan includes a dividend reinvestment plan.
 
“Beneficial ownership” means having or sharing a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in a security through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise.  The term “pecuniary interest” means the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject securities. See Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act” ).  The pecuniary interest standard looks beyond the record owner of securities.  As a result, the definition of beneficial ownership is very broad and encompasses many situations that might not ordinarily be thought to confer a “pecuniary interest” in, or “ownership” of, securities, including the following:
 
 
• 
Family Holdings .  As a general rule, you are regarded as the beneficial owner of securities not only in your name but held in the name of members of your immediate family, including:  your spouse or domestic partner; your child or other relative who shares your home or, although not living in your home, is economically dependent upon you; or any other person if you obtain from such securities benefits substantially similar to those of ownership.
 
 
• 
Partnership and Corporate Holdings .  A general partner of a general or limited partnership will generally be deemed to beneficially own securities held by the partnership, so long as the partner has direct or indirect influence or control over the management and affairs of the partnership.  A limited partner will generally not be deemed to beneficially own securities held by a limited partnership, provided he or she does not own a controlling voting interest in the partnership.  If a corporation is your “alter ego” or “personal holding company,” the corporation’s holdings of securities will be attributable to you.
 
 
• 
Investment Clubs .  You are deemed to beneficially own securities held by an investment club of which you or a member of your immediate family (as defined above) is a member.  Membership in investment clubs must be pre-approved by a Designated Compliance Officer.
 
 
• 
Trusts .  You are deemed to beneficially own securities held in trust if any of the following is true: you are a trustee and either you or members of your immediate family (as defined above) have a monetary interest in the trust, whether as to principal or income; you have a vested beneficial interest in the trust; or you are
 
 
 
-2-

 
 
 
settlor of the trust and you have the power to revoke the trust without obtaining the consent of all the beneficiaries.  See Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Exchange Act.
 
 
• 
Financial Power of Attorney .  You are deemed to beneficially own securities held in any account over which you have financial power of attorney.  
 
“Control” of a company means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company, and a control relationship exists when a company controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, another company.  Any person who owns beneficially, either directly or through one or more controlled companies, more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the voting securities of a company shall be presumed to control such company.  Any person who does not so own more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the voting securities of any company shall be presumed not to control such company.  A natural person shall be presumed not to be a controlled person.
 
“Elkhorn Fund” means any Fund for which an Elkhorn serves as the investment adviser and for which Elkhorn Securities, LLC serves as a principal underwriter or as a member of the underwriting syndicate. An Elkhorn Fund includes any Elkhorn Closed-End Fund or Elkhorn Open-End Fund (each as defined in Subsection 6.C).
 
“Fund” means an investment company registered under the 1940 Act.
 
“Initial public offering” means an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act” ), the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
 
“Investment person” means an access person of Elkhorn who (i) in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes or participates in making recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities for a client account or (ii) is a natural person in a control relationship with Elkhorn and obtains information concerning recommendations made to a client account.  Investment persons of Elkhorn include portfolios managers, portfolio assistants, securities analysts and traders employed by Elkhorn, or any other persons designated as such on Elkhorn’s master access person list.
 
“Limited offering” means an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) or pursuant to Rules 504, 505 or 506 under the Securities Act.  Limited offerings are also known as “private placements.”
 
“Maintenance trade” means a regular, day-to-day transaction in a security currently in Elkhorn’s model portfolio (or an alternative for such security) made for a new client account or pursuant to the deposit or withdrawal of money from an existing client account or a trade that is directed by a client account.  A maintenance trade also includes the sale of existing securities from a new client account for the purpose of acquiring securities currently in an Elkhorn model portfolio (or an alternative for such securities).  A maintenance trade relates solely to rebalancing
 
 
 
-3-

 
 
 
an existing client account or investing a new client account in a passive manner to track a model portfolio and is deemed not to involve the exercise of investment discretion.
 
“Non-interested director” means a director who is not an “interested director” of a Fund and who is not employed by, or has a material business relationship or professional relationship with, the Fund or the Fund’s investment adviser or underwriter.
 
“Purchase or sale of a security” includes, among other things, the purchasing or writing of an option and the acquisition or disposition of any instrument whose value is derived from the value of another security.
 
“Section 16 Officer” means every person who is directly or indirectly the beneficial owner of more than 10 percent of any class of any equity security (other than an exempted security) which is registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act or who is an officer or director of the issuer of such security.  The Elkhorn Fund board of directors approves the list of Section 16 Officers for the Elkhorn Funds on an annual basis.  This list is maintained in the Chief Compliance Officer and includes portfolio managers, traders and other employees responsible for making policy related decisions.
 
“Security” means any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or any certificate of interest or participation ink temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing.  Without limiting the foregoing, a security also includes any instrument whose value is derived from the value of another security.
 
“Unsupervised trade” is the purchase or sale of a security for which Elkhorn has no investment discretion.
 
III. General Principles
 
This Code is designed to promote the following general principles:
 
 
• 
Elkhorn and its access persons have a duty at all times to place the interests of clients first;
 
 
• 
Access persons must conduct their personal securities transactions in a manner that avoids any actual or potential conflict of interest or any abuse of their positions of trust and responsibility;
 
 
 
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• 
Access persons may not use knowledge about pending or currently considered securities transactions for clients to profit personally;
 
 
• 
Information concerning the identity of security holdings and financial circumstances of clients is confidential; and
 
 
• 
Independence in the investment decision-making process is paramount.
 
IV. Standards of Business Conduct
 
A. Fiduciary Standards
 
Elkhorn strives at all times to conduct its investment advisory business in strict accordance with its fiduciary obligations.  It is Elkhorn’s policy to protect the interest of each of its clients and to place the client’s interest first and foremost.  Elkhorn’s fiduciary responsibilities include the duty of care, loyalty, honesty, and good faith.  It is therefore imperative that access persons provide full and fair disclosure of all relevant facts concerning any potential or actual conflict of interest, make investment decisions and recommendations that are suitable for clients, and seek best execution for client transactions in accordance with Elkhorn’s best execution policies and procedures.
 
B. Compliance with Laws and Company Policies
 
Elkhorn operates in a highly regulated business environment, and has adopted many policies and procedures applicable to the conduct of its access persons.  Access persons must respect and comply with all laws, rules and regulations which are applicable to Elkhorn in the conduct of its business.  Without limiting the foregoing, it is especially important that access persons comply with applicable federal securities laws, which prohibit, among other things, the following:
 
 
• 
Employing any device, scheme or artifice to defraud a client;
 
 
• 
Making any untrue statement of a material fact to a client or omitting to state a material fact necessary in order to make statements made to a client, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;
 
 
• 
Engaging in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon a client;
 
 
• 
Engaging in any manipulative practice with respect to a client; and
 
 
• 
Engaging in any manipulative practice with respect to securities, including price manipulation. 
 
 
 
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C. Conflicts of Interest
 
Compliance with Elkhorn’s fiduciary obligations can be achieved by avoiding conflicts of interest and by fully disclosing all material facts concerning any conflict that does arise with respect to a client.
 
Conflicts of interest may arise, for example, when an access person favors the interests of one client over another ( e.g., a larger account over a smaller account, an account compensated by performance fees over an account not so compensated, or an account of a close friend or relative) without a legitimate reason for doing so.  Access persons are prohibited from engaging in inappropriate favoritism among clients that would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty.
 
Conflicts may arise when an access person has a material interest in or relationship with the issuer of a security that he or she is recommending or purchasing for a client.  Conflicts may also arise when an access person uses knowledge about pending or currently considered securities transactions for clients to profit personally.  Restrictions on personal securities transactions are addressed in detail in Section VI below.
 
Conflicts of interest may not always be clear-cut.  Any access person of Elkhorn who becomes aware of a conflict of interest or potential conflict involving a client account should bring it to the attention of the Designated Compliance Officer.
 
D. Gifts and Entertainment
 
Access persons are restricted from accepting gifts from any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of Elkhorn or any client account.  For this purpose, “gift” has the same meaning as in NASD Rule 2830.  Gifts received by an employee from any one person or entity may not have an aggregate market value of more than $100 per year.  Access persons may not accept gifts in an amount that exceeds $100 per year from any person or entity that does business with or proposes to do business with Elkhorn.  Access persons are also subject to the restrictions in Rule 2830 with respect to accepting and providing non-cash compensation in the way of entertainment, including meals, golfing and tickets to cultural and sporting events.  Access persons are similarly restricted from giving gifts to others.  Access persons may not give gifts in an amount that exceeds $100 per year to any person or entity that does business with or proposes to do business with Elkhorn.
 
E. Outside Directorships and Business Activities
 
Access persons may not serve on the board of directors of any publicly traded company or engage in outside business activities without prior written approval from the Chief Compliance Officer or his or her designee. 1   Access persons must also obtain prior written
   
1    Access persons who receive authorization to serve as board members of publicly traded companies must be isolated through information barriers from those persons making investment decisions concerning securities issued by the entities involved.
 
 
 
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approval before serving as a member of the finance or investment committee of any not-for-profit organization or performing other investment-related services for such organization.  Access persons are required to report all outside business activities on a periodic basis.  If it appears that any such activity conflicts with, or may reasonably be anticipated to conflict with, the interests of Elkhorn or its clients, the employee or access person may be required to discontinue the activity.
 
F. Protection of Confidential Information
 
Each access person of Elkhorn must preserve the confidentiality of non-public information learned in the course of his or her employment, including nonpublic information about Elkhorn’s securities recommendations and client securities holdings and transactions.  Access persons may not misuse such information or disclose such information, whether within or outside Elkhorn, except to authorized persons who need to know the information for business purposes.   Access persons must comply with all laws, rules and regulations concerning the protection of client information including, without limitation, Regulation S-P.   Please refer to Elkhorn’s Privacy Policy for more information.
 
G. Payments to Government Officials and Political Contributions
 
No payment can be made directly or indirectly to any employee, official or representative of any governmental agency or any party or candidate for the purposes of influencing any act or decision on behalf of Elkhorn.  Access persons are free to participate as individuals in political activities, but are prohibited from engaging in such activities as a representative of Elkhorn and from using the name or credibility of Elkhorn in connection with political activities.  Elkhorn will not reimburse any employee or access person for any political contributions or similar expenses.
 
V. Insider Trading
 
Elkhorn has adopted policies and procedures designed to detect and prevent insider trading and to preserve confidential information.  These policies and procedures prohibit access persons and other employees from trading, either personally or on behalf of others, on the basis of material nonpublic information in violation of the law.  This conduct is frequently referred to as “insider trading.”  Elkhorn’s policies and procedures to prevent insider trading apply to every access person and any other employee of Elkhorn and extend to activities within and outside such individual’s duties at Elkhorn.
 
A. Insider Trading
 
The term “insider trading” is not defined in the federal securities laws, but generally is used to refer to the use of material nonpublic information to trade in securities (whether or not one is an “insider”) or to communications of material nonpublic information to others.  While the law concerning insider trading is not static, it is generally understood that the law prohibits:
 
 
• 
Trading by an insider while in possession of material nonpublic information;
 
 
 
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• 
Trading by a non-insider while in possession of material nonpublic information where the information either was disclosed to the non-insider in violation of an insider’s duty to keep it confidential or was misappropriated; and
 
 
• 
Communicating material nonpublic information to others.
 
B. Insider Status
 
The concept of an “insider” is broad.  It includes officers and employees of a company or other entity such as a municipality. In addition, a person can be a “temporary insider” if he or she enters into a special confidential relationship in the conduct of a company’s affairs and as a result is given access to information solely for the company’s purposes.  A temporary insider can include, among others, a company’s attorneys, accountants, consultants, bank lending officers, investment advisers and the employees of such organizations.
 
C. Material Nonpublic Information
 
Trading on inside information is not a basis for liability unless the information is material.  “Material information” generally is defined as information for which there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decisions, or information that is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of a company’s securities.  Information that officers and employees should consider material includes, but is not limited to: dividend changes, earnings estimates, changes in previously released earnings estimates, significant merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, liquidation problems, and extraordinary management developments.  Information is nonpublic until it has been effectively communicated to the marketplace.  One must be able to point to some fact to show that the information is generally public.  For example, information found in a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or appearing in Dow Jones , Reuters Economic Services , The Wall Street Journal or other publications of general circulation would be considered public.
 
D. Identifying Inside Information
 
Before trading for yourself or others in the securities of a company about which you may have potential inside information, ask yourself the following questions:
 
 
• 
Is the information material?  Is this information that an investor would consider important in making his or her investment decisions?  Is this information that would substantially affect the market price of the securities if generally disclosed?
 
 
• 
Is the information nonpublic?  To whom has this information been provided?  Has the information been effectively communicated to the marketplace?
 
 
 
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E. Reporting Suspected Inside Information
 
If, after consideration of the above, you believe that the information is material and nonpublic, or if you have questions as to whether the information is material and nonpublic, you should take the following steps:
 
 
• 
Report the matter immediately to a Designated Compliance Officer;
 
 
• 
Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others; and
 
 
• 
Do not communicate the information inside or outside of Elkhorn, other than to a Designated Compliance Officer.
 
After a Designated Compliance Officer has reviewed the issue, you will be instructed to continue the prohibitions against trading and communication or you will be allowed to trade and communicate the information.
 
Questions regarding Elkhorn’s policies and procedures to prevent insider trading should be referred to a Designated Compliance Officer.
 
VI. Personal Securities Transactions
 
Set forth below are the restrictions on personal trading applicable to access persons, including “investment persons”, of Elkhorn.  An Elkhorn Subsidiary may implement more restrictive requirements for access persons or other employees under its direct supervision and control by adopting supplemental procedures under this Section VI.  Also included are certain restrictions that apply to the non-interested directors of the Elkhorn Funds.
 
A. Trading Restrictions for All Access Persons
 
1. Initial Public Offerings .  No access person of Elkhorn may purchase, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any security in an “initial public offering”.  This requirement also does apply to transactions in an “initial public offering” in an account over which an access person has granted full discretionary authority to a third party.
 
2. Limited Offerings .  No access person of Elkhorn may purchase, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, or outside such an account, any security in a “limited offering” without prior written approval as specified in Subsection G below. 2
 
   
2        A decision to grant approval will take into account, among other factors, whether the investment opportunity would be consistent with the strategies and objectives of a client account and whether the opportunity is being offered to the access person by virtue of his or her position with Elkhorn.
 
 
 
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3. Other Securities .  No access person of Elkhorn may purchase or sell, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any security without first pre-clearing such transaction by the Chief Compliance Officer as specified in Subsection G below.
 
4. Securities Being Purchased or Sold in Client Accounts .  No access person of Elkhorn may purchase or sell, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any security that to his or her actual knowledge is being purchased or sold, or is actively being considered for purchase or sale, by a client of Elkhorn.  This restriction, however, does not apply when the purchase or sale by the client account is a “maintenance trade” or an “unsupervised trade.”
 
B. Additional Trading Restrictions for Investment Persons
 
1. Securities Eligible for Purchase or Sale by Client Accounts .  Except with prior written approval, no investment person of Elkhorn may purchase or sell, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any security eligible for purchase or sale by a client account for which such investment person has responsibility. 3
 
2. Securities Traded Within Seven Days Before or After a Client Transaction .  In the event that a client account purchases or sells a security within seven days preceding or following the purchase, or purchases or sells a security within seven days preceding or following the sale, of the same security by an investment person who has responsibility for the client account, the investment person may be required to dispose of the security and/or disgorge any profits associated with his or her transaction.  Such disposal and/or disgorgement may be required notwithstanding any prior written approval granted pursuant to Subsection B.1 above, unless the purchase or sale by the client account is a maintenance trade or unsupervised trade.
 
C. Other Trading Restrictions
 
1. Transactions in Shares of Certain Closed-End Funds and Similar Pooled Vehicles .  No access person of Elkhorn may purchase or sell, directly or indirectly for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any common or preferred shares of a closed-end Fund advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn (an “Elkhorn Closed-End Fund” ) without prior written approval as specified in Subsection G below.  This pre-clearance requirement will also apply to common and preferred shares of any other exchange-listed investment product sponsored by Elkhorn that is not a closed-end fund, and such product will be regarded as a Closed-End Fund for purposes of this Subsection C and all related sections.  In addition, no employee, officer or director of Elkhorn or any Elkhorn Subsidiary who is subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act by reason of his or her position with an Elkhorn Closed-End Fund or other closed-end fund advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn may purchase or sell, directly or indirectly
   
3       Written approval may be withheld unless it is determined that the transaction is unlikely to present an opportunity for abuse and there has been no trade (other than a maintenance trade or unsupervised trade) in the same security during the seven preceding days by a client account for which the investment person has some responsibility.
 
 
 
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for any account in which he or she has beneficial ownership, any common shares of such fund without prior written approval as specified in Subsection G below.  These restrictions do apply to any such transactions in accounts over which an access person has granted full discretionary authority to a third party.
 
2. Non-Interested Directors of the Elkhorn Funds .  A non-interested director of an Elkhorn Fund is deemed an “access person” of such Fund pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act.  Accordingly, in connection with his or her purchase or sale of a security held or to be acquired by the Fund, such non-interested director may not: engage in any act or practice that operates as a fraud or deceit upon the Fund; make any material misstatement or omission to the Fund; or engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Fund.   Under this Code, a non-interested director of an Elkhorn Fund:
 
 
• 
May not purchase or sell common or preferred shares of an Elkhorn Closed-End Fund without prior written approval;
 
 
• 
May purchase or sell other securities which are eligible for purchase or sale by an Elkhorn Fund, including securities in an initial public offering or limited offering, without prior written approval unless such non-interested director has actual knowledge that the securities are being purchased or sold, or are actively being considered for purchase or sale, by the Elkhorn Fund.
 
3. Frequent Trading in Shares of Certain Open-End Funds .  Access persons of each Elkhorn Subsidiary must adhere to the restrictions on frequent trading set forth in the registration statement of any open-end Fund advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn (an “Elkhorn Open-End Fund” ).
 
4. Excessive or Abusive Trading .  Excessive personal trading (as measured in terms of frequency, complexity of trading programs, numbers of trades or other measures) and other personal trading patterns that involve opportunities for abuse are inconsistent with fiduciary principles and this Code.  Accordingly, if the trading by an employee or access person in any account, including but not limited to a 401(k) plan, appears to be excessive or otherwise abusive, the Designated Compliance Officers may place additional restrictions on such trading.
 
D. Pre-clearance Procedures and Access Person Trade Monitoring
 
All personal transactions for such individuals must be pre-cleared through the Chief Compliance Officer.  This means that all transactions must be provided to the Chief Compliance Officer for approval before any such transactions are executed.  All of the information required by the Chief Compliance Officer must be supplied in connection with the transaction.  Transactions effected pursuant to an “automatic investment plan” must only be submitted for pre-clearance one time, prior to the first transaction under the automatic investment plan.  The following trades are not required to be submitted for pre-clearance:
 
 
 
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(a) Purchases effected upon the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of its securities, to the extent such rights were acquired from such issuers, and sales of such rights so acquired;
 
(b) Acquisitions of securities through stock dividends, dividend reinvestments, stock splits, reverse stock splits, mergers, consolidations, spin-offs, and other similar corporate reorganizations or distributions generally applicable to all holders of the same class of securities; and
 
(c) Transactions that are non-volitional on the part of the access person, including transactions in managed accounts in which the access person has no investment discretion and the call by a third party of an option on securities owned by the access person.  Such transactions are, however, subject to other restrictions including those contained in Subsections VI.A.1 and VI.C.1 above.
 
E. Reporting Requirements
 
1. General Reporting Requirements .  Elkhorn will deliver a copy of this Code, and amendments to this Code, to each access person.   Shortly after receipt of a copy of this Code or any amendment, the recipient shall be required to acknowledge that he or she:
 
 
• 
Has received a copy of the Code;
 
 
• 
Has read and understands the Code;
 
 
• 
Agrees that he or she is legally bound by the Code; and
 
 
• 
Will comply with all requirements of the Code.
 
2. Initial Holdings Report .  Each access person of Elkhorn must submit a report of all holdings in securities within ten days of becoming an access person.  The report must include the following information current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the date of becoming an access person:
 
 
• 
Title, type, exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and principal amount of each security;
 
 
• 
Name of any broker, dealer or bank with which the access person maintains an account; and
 
 
• 
Date on which the report is submitted.
 
3. Annual Holdings Report .  Access persons must submit a report of all security holdings within 45 days after the end of each calendar year.  The report must include the following information current as of the last day of the calendar year:
 
 
 
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• 
Title, type, exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares and principal amount of each security;
 
 
• 
Name of any broker, dealer or bank with which the access person maintains an account; and
 
 
• 
Date on which the report is submitted.
 
4. Quarterly Transaction Reports .  Access persons must submit transaction reports no later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter covering all transactions in securities during the quarter.  The report must include:
 
 
• 
Date of transaction, title, exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number,  interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), number of shares and  principal amount of each security involved;
 
 
• 
Nature of the transaction ( e.g., purchase, sale or any other acquisition or disposition);
 
 
• 
Price at which the transaction was effected;
 
 
• 
Name of broker, dealer, or bank through which the transaction was effected;
 
 
• 
Name of broker, dealer or bank with whom any new account was established and the date such account was established; and
 
 
• 
Date on which the report is submitted.
 
5. Transaction Reports of Non-Interested Elkhorn Fund Directors .  Non-interested directors of an Elkhorn Fund must report a personal securities transaction only if such director, at the time of that transaction, knew that during the 15-day period immediately preceding or subsequent to the date of the transaction by the director, such security was purchased or sold by the Fund or was being considered for purchase or sale by the Fund.  Non-interested directors must report securities transactions meeting these requirements within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter.
 
6. Reporting Holdings and Transactions in Certain Open-End Funds .  Unless one of the exceptions set forth in Section G below applies, holdings and transactions in shares of Elkhorn Open-End Funds, and shares of any other open-end fund for which an Elkhorn Subsidiary serves as an adviser or sub-adviser, must be included in the initial and annual holdings reports and quarterly transaction reports required by this Subsection E.   See Schedule III for a list of such funds.  However, access persons need not take any action to report holdings or transactions in shares of Elkhorn Open-End Funds through any Elkhorn 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan because such information is being directly provided by the plan administrator to the Designated Compliance Officers.  
 
 
 
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7. Brokerage Statements .  Each access person must provide the Designated Compliance Officer with a list of their brokerage accounts (or  other accounts that hold securities).  This requirement also includes accounts held directly with any Elkhorn Open-End Fund or other open-end fund advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn, unless one of the exceptions in Section F below applies.  With respect to transactions in any Elkhorn 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan, this requirement is deemed satisfied by virtue of the reports being sent by the plan administrator directly to the Chief Compliance Officer.
 
8. Form of Holdings and Transaction Reports .  An access person’s holdings and transaction reports required by this Subsection E shall be in the form required by Elkhorn or such other form approved by the Designated Compliance Officer.
 
F. Exceptions to Reporting Requirements
 
The following holdings and/or transactions are not required to be included in the reports described in Subsection E above:
 
1. Holdings and transactions in securities over which a person has no direct or indirect influence or control;
 
2. Transactions effected pursuant to an automatic investment plan, including transactions in any Elkhorn’s 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan and any dividend reinvestment plan, unless such transactions override or deviate from the pre-set schedule or allocations of such automatic investment plan;
 
3. Holdings and transactions in securities issued by the U.S. Government, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, and high-quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;
 
4. Holdings and transactions in shares of registered open-end investment companies that are not advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn and are not exchange-traded open-end funds (ETFs); and
 
5. Holdings and transactions in shares of unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds that are not advised or sub-advised by Elkhorn.
 
G. Procedures
 
1. Notification of Status as Investment Person .  Elkhorn will notify each person who is considered to be an investment person under this Code.
 
2. Maintenance of Access Person Master List .  Elkhorn and each Elkhorn Subsidiary will maintain and update an access person master list containing the names of its access persons and investment persons who are subject to this Code.  It will also maintain a list of all open-end funds for which Elkhorn serves as an adviser or sub-adviser.
 
 
 
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3. Procedure for Requesting Prior Written Approval .  A request for prior written approval required by Subsections A.1, A.3 and C.1 above must be made in writing to the Chief Compliance Officer.  Such requests must include the following information:
 
 
• 
Title, ticker symbol or CUSIP number;
 
 
• 
Type of security (bond, stock, note, etc.);
 
 
• 
Maximum expected dollar amount or number of shares of proposed transaction;
 
 
• 
Nature of the transaction (purchase or sale);
 
 
• 
Broker’s name and account number; and
 
 
• 
Any other information, representations or certifications that the Chief Compliance Officer may reasonably request.
 
The person granting approval of a transaction will create an e-mail or other written record setting forth the terms of the approval and will copy the other access persons who need to know such information.  
 
The person making the request will have one business day to execute an approved transaction at market or to place or cancel a limit order.  Failure to execute the approved transaction within one business day will require the person to re-submit their pre-clearance request as described above.  The automatic execution of an order does not require an additional approval.
 
4. Monitoring of Personal Securities Transactions .  Designated Compliance Officers will review personal securities transactions and holdings reports periodically, either on a trade-by-trade basis or through various sampling techniques.  
 
5. Section 16 Officers Additional Reporting .  Section 16 Officers are also required to report to the Chief Compliance Officer via email the details of any transaction requiring Section 16 filings immediately upon the completion of the transaction.  Section 16 Officers are also required to verify the information in all Section 16 filings with the Compliance Department and confirm that the Section 16 filing was made within the required regulatory timeframe.
 
VII. Administration and Enforcement
 
A. Approval of Code
 
This Code has been approved by each Elkhorn, Elkhorn Subsidiary identified on Schedule I hereto, the board of directors of the Elkhorn and Elkhorn Open-End and Closed-End Funds, and the board of directors or trustees of other funds for which Elkhorn serves as an adviser or sub-adviser, if applicable.  Material amendments must also be approved by such fund
 
 
 
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boards (or principal underwriter or depositor in the case of a unit investment trust) within six months of the amendment.
 
B. Reporting to the Elkhorn Fund Board
 
Elkhorn or the applicable Elkhorn Subsidiary must provide an annual written report to the board of directors of any Elkhorn Fund or other fund (other than a unit investment trust) for which Elkhorn or an Elkhorn Subsidiary serves as an adviser or sub-adviser.  The report must:
 
 
• 
Describe any issues arising under the Code or procedures thereunder since the last report, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the Code or procedures thereunder and sanctions imposed in response to such violations; and
 
 
• 
Certify that procedures have been adopted that are reasonably necessary to prevent access persons from violating the Code.
 
C. Duty to Report Violations
 
Access persons must report violations of the Code promptly to a Designated Compliance Officer, who in turn must report all such violations to the Chief Compliance Officer (if the Chief Compliance Officer is not the Designated Compliance Officer).  Such reports will be treated confidentially to the extent permitted by law and investigated promptly.  
 
D. Sanctions for Violation of the Code
 
Access persons and other employees may be subject to sanctions for violations of the specific provisions or general principles of the Code.  Violations by such persons will be reviewed and sanctions determined by the President and the Chief Compliance Officer of Elkhorn, or their respective designees.  Sanctions which may be imposed include:
 
 
• 
Formal warning;
 
 
• 
Restriction of trading privileges;
 
 
• 
Disgorgement of trading profits;
 
 
• 
Fines; and/or
 
 
• 
Suspension or termination of employment.
 
The factors which that may be considered when determining the appropriate sanctions include, but are not limited to:
 
 
• 
Harm to a client’s interest;
 
 
 
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• 
Extent of unjust enrichment;
 
 
• 
Frequency of occurrence;
 
 
• 
Degree to which there is personal benefit from unique knowledge obtained through a person’s position with Elkhorn or its clients.
 
 
• 
Degree of perception of a conflict of interest;
 
 
• 
Evidence of fraud, violation of law, or reckless disregard of a regulatory requirement; and/or
 
 
• 
Level of accurate, honest and timely cooperation from the person subject to the Code.
 
Material violations by non-interested directors of an Elkhorn Fund may be reviewed and sanctions determined by the other non-interested directors of such Fund or a committee thereof.  
 
E. Form ADV Disclosure
 
Elkhorn must include on Item 11 of Part 2 of its Form ADV a description of the Code and a statement that Elkhorn will provide a copy of the Code to any client or prospective client upon request.
 
F. Interpretation of the Code and the Granting of Waivers
 
Questions concerning the interpretation or applicability of the provisions of this Code, and the granting of waivers or exceptions hereunder, may be determined and made by the Chief Compliance Officer, or their designees.
 
VIII. Recordkeeping
 
Elkhorn will maintain the following records in a readily accessible place in accordance with Rule 17j-1(f) under the 1940 Act, as amended, and Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act.
 
 
• 
A copy of each Code that has been in effect at any time during the past five years;
 
 
• 
A record of any violation of the Code and any action taken as a result of such violation for five years from the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurred;
 
 
• 
A record of all written acknowledgements of receipt of the Code and amendments for each person who is currently, or within the past five years was, an access person;
 
 
• 
Holdings and transactions reports made pursuant to the Code, including any brokerage confirmation and account statements made in lieu of these reports;
 
 
 
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• 
A list of the names of persons who are currently, or within the past five years were, access persons;
 
 
• 
A record of any decision and supporting reasons for approving the acquisition of securities by access persons in initial public offerings or limited offerings for at least five years after the end of the fiscal year in which approval was granted;
 
 
• 
Any decisions that grant access persons a waiver from or exception to the Code;
 
 
• 
A record of persons responsible for reviewing access persons’ reports currently or during the last five years; and
 
 
• 
A copy of reports provided to a Fund’s board of directors regarding the Code.
 
 
 
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Schedule I
 
Elkhorn Subsidiaries Adopting This Code of Ethics
 
_____________________
 
Any other Elkhorn Subsidiary that may from time to time notify its employees/access persons that it has adopted this Code


 
 

 
 
 
Schedule II
 
Designated Compliance Officers

For pre-clearance of trades in common or preferred shares of Elkhorn Closed-End Funds, employees/access persons and Section 16 Officers of the Funds should contact the following person:
 

For pre-clearance of all other trades, contact the Chief Compliance Officer or of the individuals identified below, depending on which Elkhorn Subsidiary you are affiliated with:
 
If you are affiliated with any of the following:
You should contact one of the following persons:
Elkhorn Investments, LLC
 

If you are a Section 16 Officer:
You should contact the following persons:
Report the details of each Section 16 transaction via email to:
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
Schedule III
 
Open-End Funds Advised or Sub-Advised by Elkhorn or an Elkhorn Subsidiary




 
ALPS Code of Ethics
 
 
Dated: May 1, 2010
Amended Last: December 19, 2014
 
 
 

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Table of Contents
 
 
 
Introduction  
Applicability 
General Standards of Business Conduct  
Conflicts of Interest 
Protecting Confidential Information 
Insider Trading and Tipping 
Excess Trading 
Front Running 
Gifts and Entertainment 
Improper Payments or Rebates 
10 
Service on a Board of Directors/Outside Business Activities 
10 
Political Contributions 
11 
Personal Securities Transactions – Restrictions & Reporting Requirements  
12 
Access Persons 
12 
Investment Persons 
15 
Sanctions  
19 
Reporting Forms  
23 
Appendix A– Gift Disclosure Form 
24 
Appendix B – Broker/Dealers with Electronic Feeds 
25 
Appendix C – Broker/Dealer Duplicate Statement/Confirmation Request Letter 
26 
 
 
 
2

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
 
Introduction
 
 
This Code of Ethics (“Code”) has been adopted by ALPS Holdings, Inc. and applies to its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively referred to herein as “ALPS”) . The Code is designed to comply with Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”) and Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). By adopting and adhering to a code that meets the applicable requirements under the Advisers Act and 1940 Act, it is intended that ALPS employees who are deemed to be Access Persons and/or Investment Persons, will not also be subject to duplicative reporting requirements under various other codes for Fund Companies for which they may serve as an officer or are otherwise deemed to be an Access Person. However, all such persons should check with each company’s Compliance or Legal representatives to confirm their status.
 
ALPS and its employees are subject to certain laws and regulations governing personal securities trading. This Code also sets forth procedures and limitations which govern personal securities transactions. Employees who are also registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) as a Registered Representative may have additional requirements and/or restrictions in addition to those described herein. Those Registered Representatives should consult their Written Supervisory Procedures for additional requirements.
 
ALPS and its employees are prohibited from engaging in fraudulent, deceptive or manipulative conduct. The Code is designed to reinforce ALPS’ reputation for integrity by avoiding even the appearance of impropriety in the conduct of our business. This Code was developed to promote the highest standards of behavior and ensure compliance with applicable laws.
 
Employees are required to report any known violations of the Code to the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”). This includes violations that come to your attention that may have been inadvertent and/or violations that other employees may have committed. The CCO (or his designee) will promptly investigate the matter and take action if needed. There will be no retribution against any employee for making such a report, and every effort will be made to protect the identity of the reporting employee. There may be additional provisions for reporting violations that are covered under the firm’s Whistle Blower Policy and employees should make themselves familiar with this policy or consult with ALPS’ CCO.
 
Employees should be aware that they may be held personally liable for any improper or illegal acts committed during their course of employment, and that "ignorance of the law" is not a defense. All ALPS employees are expected to read the Code carefully and observe and adhere to its guidance at all times. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Code may result in serious sanctions including, but not limited to: disgorgement of profits, dismissal, substantial personal liability and referral to law enforcement agencies or other regulatory agencies. Employees should also understand that a material breach of the provisions of the Code may constitute grounds for disciplinary action, including termination of employment with ALPS.
 
The provisions of the Code are not all-inclusive. Rather, they are intended as a guide for employees of ALPS in their conduct. In those situations where an employee may be uncertain as to the intent or purpose of the Code, he/she is advised to consult with the CCO. The CCO may grant exceptions to certain provisions contained in the Code, only in those situations when it is clear beyond dispute that the interests of our Clients will not be adversely affected or compromised. All questions arising in connection with personal securities trading should be resolved in favor of the Client, even at the expense of the interests of employees.
 
The CCO will periodically report to senior management/board of directors of ALPS and the respective fund boards where ALPS serves in the capacity of investment adviser and/or distributor to document compliance or non-compliance with this Code. Each employee is responsible for knowing their responsibilities under the Code. Employees should retain a copy of the Code in their records for future reference. Any questions regarding the Code should be directed to the CCO.
 
 
 
3

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Applicability
 
ALPS Employees
 
This Code is applicable to all ALPS employees. This includes full-time, part-time, benefited and non-benefited, officers, directors, exempt and non-exempt personnel. Additionally, each new employee’s offer letter will include a copy of the Code of Ethics and a statement advising the individual that he/she will be subject to the Code of Ethics if he/she accepts the offer of employment. Employees with access to certain information (as determined by their job position or as so designated by the CCO) may also be deemed to be “Access Persons” or “Investment Persons.” Each such distinction has specific restrictions, limitations, reporting requirements and other policies and procedures that apply to persons defined as such. All ALPS employees have an obligation to promptly notify the Compliance Department if there is a change to their duties, responsibilities or title which affects their reporting status under the code.
 
Family Members and Related Parties
 
The Code applies to the accounts of applicable employees, his/her spouse or domestic partner, his/her minor children, his/her immediate family members residing in the same household as the employee (e.g. adult children or parents living at home), and any relative, person or entity for whom the employee directs the investments. Joint account holders will also be included if an ALPS employee is one of the joint account holders (Please refer to the definition of an “account”).
 
Contractors and Consultants
 
ALPS contractor/consultant/temporary employee contracts may include the Code as an addendum, and each contractor/consultant/temporary employee may be required to sign an acknowledgement that he/she has read the Code and will abide by it. Certain sections, such as those pertaining to the pre-clearance and reporting provisions, may be excepted.
 
 
 
4

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Definitions
 
Access Person - “Access Person” shall mean any Director, Trustee, Officer, Partner, Investment Person, or Employee of ALPS Holdings Inc. or its affiliates, who:
 
has access to non-public information regarding any Clients’ Securities Transactions, or non-public information regarding the portfolio holdings of any fund(s) of a Client or any ALPS fund(s) or fund(s) of an affiliate;
 
is involved in making Securities Transactions recommendations to Clients, or has access to such recommendations that are non-public;
 
in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding a Fund’s Securities Transactions or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to a Fund Securities Transactions;
 
obtains information regarding a Fund’s Securities Transactions or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to a Fund’s Securities Transactions;
 
any other person designated by the CCO or the Ethics Committee has having access to non-public information.
 
Account - “Account” shall mean any accounts of any employee which includes accounts of the employee’s immediate family members (any relative by blood or marriage) living in the employee’s household, and any account in which he or she has a direct or indirect beneficial interest, such as trusts and custodial accounts or other accounts in which the employee has a beneficial interest or exercises investment discretion. Some accounts may be subject to restrictions, please refer to Restricted Accounts definition below.
 
Automatic Investment Plan - “Automatic Investment Plan” means a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined scheduled and allocation. An Automatic Investment Plan includes a dividend reinvestment plan.
 
Beneficial Ownership - For purposes of the Code, "Beneficial Ownership" shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be in Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") in determining whether a person is subject to the provisions of Section 16 under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations there under. Generally speaking, beneficial ownership encompasses those situations where the beneficial owner has the right to enjoy some economic benefits which are substantially equivalent to ownership regardless of who is the registered owner. This would include, but is not limited to:
 
securities which a person holds for his or her own benefit either in bearer form, registered in his or her own name or otherwise, regardless of whether the securities are owned individually or jointly;
 
securities held in the name of a member of his or her immediate family sharing the same household;
 
securities held by a trustee, executor, administrator, custodian or broker;
 
securities owned by a general partnership of which the person is a member or a limited partnership of which such person is a general partner;
 
securities held by a corporation which can be regarded as a personal holding company of a person; and
 
securities recently purchased by a person and awaiting transfer into his or her name.
 
Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) - The CCO shall be a person so designated by ALPS. Currently, the CCO is Bradley Swenson .
 
Client – The term “Client” shall include all closed-end mutual funds, open-end mutual funds, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts (“UITs”) of any investment company or any unregistered fund (e.g. hedge fund) who has a business relationship with ALPS and/or for whom ALPS performs a business service. Please refer to the Compliance Department Intranet Web Page for a current listing of Clients.
 
 
5

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Client Mutual Funds – The term “Client Mutual Funds” as used within this Code, refers to any funds (open-end, closed-end, ETFs, UITs) that ALPS has a business relationship with and/or for whom ALPS performs a business service. Please refer to the Compliance Department Intranet Web Page for a current listing of Client Mutual Funds.
 
Covered Associate – “Covered Associate” shall mean any employee that is required to comply with the provisions under Rule 206(4)-5 of the Advisers Act as well as the Political Contributions Policy within ALPS Advisors, Inc.’s Compliance Program. A person is generally considered to be a covered associate for these purposes:
 
if he or she is a President, managing director, VP in charge of a business unit and any other employee who performs a policy-making function of ALPS Advisors, Inc. (“AAI”);
 
if he or she is an employee who solicits a government entity for AAI and such employee’s direct or indirect supervisor;
 
a political action committee controlled by AAI or by any of AAI’s covered associates; or
 
any other AAI employee so designated by the CCO.
 
Covered Securities – For purposes of the Code, “Covered Securities” will include all Securities (as defined below). In addition, “Covered Securities” will also include all Client Mutual Funds (as defined above) or any equivalents in local non-US jurisdictions, single stock futures and both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") regulated futures.
 
For the purposes of the Code, non-Client open-end mutual funds will not be considered as “Covered Securities.”
 
Employee “Employee” shall include all employees of ALPS Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates, including directors, officers, partners of AAI (or other persons occupying similar status), any temporary worker, contractor, or independent contractor if so designated by the CCO or the Ethics Committee.
 
Foreign Official – the term “Foreign Official” includes:
 
government officials;
 
political party leaders;
 
candidates for office;
 
employees of state-owned enterprises (such as state-owned banks or pension plans); and
 
relatives or agents of a Foreign Official if a payment is made to such relative or agent of a Foreign Official with the knowledge or intent that it ultimately would benefit the Foreign Official.
 
Fund Transactions – For purposes of the Code, “Fund Transactions” refers to any transactions of the Fund itself. It does not include “Securities Transactions” of the Fund (Securities Transactions are defined below).
 
Investment Persons – “Investment Person” shall mean any Access Person (within ALPS) who makes investment decisions for AAI or Clients, who provides investment related information or advice to portfolio managers, or helps to execute and/or implement a portfolio manager’s decisions. This typically includes for example, portfolio managers, portfolio assistants, traders, and securities analysts.
 
Registered Representative – The term “Registered Representative” as used within this Code, refers to a person who holds a securities license, and is actively registered, with FINRA.
 
 
6

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Restricted Accounts – Employees are restricted from establishing external managed accounts (also referred to as a discretionary account) with any adviser that does business with ALPS Advisors, Inc. Managed account is defined as an investment account that is owned by an individual investor but is managed by a hired professional money manager. Investment in a hedge fund is not deemed to be managed account.
 
Securities – For purposes of the Code, “Security” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act. This definition of “Security” includes, but is not limited to: any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificates of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, any put, call, straddle, option or privilege on any Security or on any group or index of Securities, or any put, call, straddle, option or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, any exchange-traded vehicle (including, but not limited to, closed-end mutual funds, exchange-traded notes and exchange-traded funds). Further, for the purpose of the Code, “Security” shall include any commodity contracts as defined in Section 2(a)(1)(A) of the Commodity Exchange Act. This definition includes but is not limited to futures contracts on equity indices.
 
“Security” shall not include direct obligations of the government of the United States or any other sovereign country or supra-national agency, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements, variable and fixed insurance products.
 
Securities Transactions – The term “Securities Transactions” as used within this Code typically refers to the purchase and/or sale of Securities, (as defined herein), by the Fund(s). Securities Transactions shall include any gift of Covered Securities that is given or received by the employee, including any inheritance received that includes Covered Securities.
 
 
7

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
General Standards of Business Conduct
 
All employees are subject to, and expected to abide by the General Standards of Business Conduct. The following activities are prohibited. Persons who violate any prohibition may be required to disgorge any profits realized in connection with such violation to a charitable organization selected by the Ethics Committee and may be subject to other sanctions imposed by the Ethics Committee, as outlined in the Penalty Guidelines.
 
No employee may cause ALPS or a Client to take action, or to fail to take action, for personal benefit, rather than to benefit ALPS or such Client. For example, a person would violate this Code by causing a Client to purchase securities owned by the Access Person for the purpose of supporting or increasing the price of that security or by causing a Client to refrain from selling securities in an attempt to protect a personal investment, such as an option on that security.
 
Employees may not use knowledge of Fund Transactions or Securities Transactions made or contemplated by ALPS or Clients to profit, or cause others to profit, by the market effect of such transactions.
 
Employees have an obligation to safeguard material non-public information regarding ALPS and its Clients. Accordingly, employees may not disclose current Fund Transactions or Securities Transactions made or contemplated or any other non-public information to anyone outside of ALPS, without approval from the CCO or the Ethics Committee.
 
Employees may not engage in fraudulent conduct in connection with the purchase or sale of securities, including without limitation:
 
Employing any device, scheme or artifice to defraud;
 
Making any untrue statement of material fact or omitting to state to a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, misleading;
 
Engaging in any act, practice or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit;
 
Engaging in any manipulative practice; and
 
Investing in derivatives to evade the restrictions of this Code. Accordingly, individuals may not use derivatives to take positions in securities that would be otherwise prohibited by the Code if the positions were taken directly.
 
Conflicts of Interest
 
Employees may not act on behalf of ALPS in any transaction involving other persons or organizations with whom they may have any financial or any other connection without prior approval from the CCO. It is the responsibility of each employee to avoid participation in such situations or, if avoidance is not possible, to deal with any conflicts in a fair and ethical manner. If personal interest might affect an employee’s ability to represent ALPS as they would in an unbiased “arms length” transaction, the employee should remove them self from the transaction.
 
Protecting Confidential Information
 
Employees may receive information about ALPS, its Clients and other parties that, for various reasons, should be treated as confidential. All employees are expected to strictly comply with measures necessary to preserve the confidentiality of the information. Refer to ALPS Corporate Security Policy, Technology Resources Acceptable Use Policy, and Identity Theft Prevention Program for additional information.
 
 
 
8

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Insider Trading and Tipping
 
The misuse of material nonpublic information, or inside information, constitutes a fraud under the securities laws of the United States and many other countries. Fraudulent misuse of inside information includes buying or selling securities while in possession of material nonpublic information for an employee or employee-related account, a proprietary account or for the account of any Client. Fraudulent misuse of inside information also includes disclosing or tipping such information to someone else who then trades on it, or using such information as a basis for recommending the purchase or sale of a security. Information is material when it has market significance and there is a likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider the information important in deciding whether to buy or sell the securities of the company involved. It is nonpublic if it has not been broadly disseminated.
 
In no event, may any employee who receives inside information use that information to trade or recommend securities affected by such information for personal benefit, the benefit of ALPS or any affiliate or the benefit of a third party. More specifically:
 
No employee may, while in possession of inside information affecting a security, purchase or sell such security for the account of such employee, a Client or any other person or entity;
 
No employee may disclose inside information to any person outside of ALPS. However, discussions with legal counsel and disclosures authorized by ALPS or the Client in furtherance of a related project or transaction are permitted; and
 
No employee may recommend or direct the purchase from or sale of a security to anyone while in the possession of inside information, however obtained.
 
Excess Trading
 
While active personal trading may not in and of itself raise issues under applicable laws and regulations, we believe that a very high volume of personal trading can be time consuming and can increase the possibility of actual or apparent conflicts with portfolio transactions. Accordingly, an unusually high level of personal trading activity is strongly discouraged and may be monitored by the Compliance Department to the extent appropriate for the category of person, and a pattern of excessive trading may lead to the taking of appropriate action under the Code.
 
Front Running
 
Employees may not engage in "front running," that is, the purchase or sale of securities for their own accounts on the basis of their knowledge of a Fund’s trading positions or plans. Trading activity will be monitored by Compliance Department to the extent appropriate for the category of person.
 
Gifts and Entertainment
 
All employees are required to follow the standards below regarding the receipt of or the giving of gifts and entertainment with respect to Clients:
 
Employees should avoid any excessive or disreputable entertainment that would reflect unfavorably on ALPS or its Clients;
 
 
 
9

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Employees may not offer or accept cash or its equivalent as a gift;
 
Employees may recognize that promotional gifts such as those that bear the logo of a company's name or that routinely are made available to the general public are generally acceptable business gifts (and are not required to be reported unless the estimated value exceeds $250);
 
Employees must fully, fairly and accurately account on the books and records of ALPS for any expense associated with a gift or entertainment;
 
Employees may not accept any gift or bequest under a will or trust from a Client of ALPS; and
 
Employees who are also registered with FINRA as a Registered Representative may have additional requirements and/or restrictions that are different than these policies. These polices do not override any requirements of FINRA.
 
For purposes of the Code, the gifts and entertainment limit will be $250.00 or the local equivalent. In order for an employee to accept or give a gift or entertainment above the limit, he/she must obtain written approval from the CCO. A copy of the Gift Disclosure Form may be found under Appendix A of this Code.
 
Improper Payments or Rebates
 
Associates must not offer or receive gratuities, bribes, kickbacks, or improper rebates from public officials, officials of foreign governments, competitors or suppliers.
 
Pursuant to the Foreign Corruption Practices Act (“FCPA”), employees are prohibited from making or offering to make any payment to or for the benefit of any Foreign Official if the purpose of such payment is to improperly influence or induce that Foreign Official to obtain or retain business for the company (a so-called bribe or kickback). All payments, whether large or small, are prohibited if they are, in essence, bribes or kickbacks, including:
 
cash payments;
 
gifts;
 
entertainment;
 
services; and
 
amenities.
 
If an employee is unsure about whether he/she are being asked to make an improper payment, he/she should not make the payment. Employees must promptly report to the CCO any request made by a Foreign Official for a payment that would be prohibited under the guidelines set above and any other actions taken to induce such a payment. If you have any questions or need any guidance, please contact the CCO.
 
Service on a Board of Directors/Outside Business Activities
 
All employees are required to comply with the following provisions:
 
Employees are to avoid any business activity, outside employment or professional service that competes with ALPS or conflicts with the interests of ALPS or its Clients.
 
An employee is required to obtain the approval from the CCO before becoming a director, officer, partner or sole proprietor of a "for profit" organization. The request for approval should disclose the name of the organization, the nature of the business, whether any conflicts of interest could reasonably result from the association, whether fees, income or other compensation will be earned and whether there are any relationships between the organization and ALPS.
 
 
10

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
 
Employees may not accept any personal fiduciary appointments such as administrator, executor or trustee other than those arising from family or other close personal relationships.
 
 
Employees may not use ALPS resources, including computers, software, proprietary information, letterhead and other property in connection with any employment or other activity outside ALPS.
 
 
Employees must disclose to the Compliance Department a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict with ALPS or Clients and discuss how to control the risk.
 
When completing the Annual Certification acknowledging receipt and understanding of the Code of Ethics, employees may be asked to disclose all outside affiliations. Any director/trustee positions with public companies or companies likely to become public are prohibited without prior written approval of the CCO.
 
Political Contributions
 
All political activities of employees must be kept separate from employment and expenses may not be charged to ALPS. Employees may not use ALPS facilities for political campaign purposes.
 
All employees who are deemed Covered Associates are required to comply with the provisions under Rule 206(4)-5 of the Advisers Act as well as the Political Contributions Policy within AAI’s Compliance Program. A person is generally considered to be a Covered Associate for these purposes:
 
if he or she is a President, managing director, VP in charge of a business unit and any other employee who performs a policy-making function of AAI;
 
if he or she is an employee who solicits a government entity for AAI and such employee’s direct or indirect supervisor;
 
a political action committee controlled by AAI or by any of AAI’s Covered Associates; or
 
any other AAI employee so designated by the CCO.
 
Spouses and household family members of each Covered Associate are also subject to the provisions under Rule 206(4)-5.
 
Covered Associates are prohibited from making political contributions on behalf of AAI or individually in their capacity as a covered associate unless their contribution is within the de minimis exception. The de minimis exception permits contributions according to the following guidelines:
 
Up to $350 per candidate per election cycle, to incumbents or candidates for whom they are eligible to vote
 
Up to $150 per candidate per election cycle, to other incumbents or candidates
 
Covered Associates will be required to obtain a pre-approval for all political contributions, including but not limited to those noted above.
 
On a quarterly basis, the CCO or designee will request a reporting of political contributions during the previous quarter by all Covered Associates. The reporting should include contributions by spouses, household family members and all contributions by other parties (lawyers, affiliated companies, acquaintances, etc…) directed by the Covered Associate. The report should include the individual or election committee receiving the contribution, the office for which the individual is running, the current elected office held, if any, the dollar amount of the contribution or value of the donated item and whether or not the Covered Associate is eligible to vote for the candidate. The Covered Associate report must be completed within 30 days of each quarter end so that if an inadvertent political contribution (of $350.00 or less) has been made to an official for whom the Covered Associate is not entitled to vote, the contributor may be required to request the return of the contribution in order to avoid the two year compensation ban against AAI.
 
 
 
11

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Personal Securities Transactions – Restrictions & Reporting Requirements
 
 
Access Persons
 
Trading Restrictions
 
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) - Access Persons are prohibited from acquiring securities through an allocation by the underwriter of an initial public offering ("IPO"). There may be certain exceptions for a situation with prior written disclosure to and written approval from the CCO, could acquire shares in an IPO of his/her employer.
 
Limited or Private Offerings - Access Persons are prohibited from purchasing securities in a private offering unless the purchase is approved in writing by the CCO. Private placements include certain co-operative investments in real estate, commingled investment vehicles such as hedge funds, and investments in family owned businesses. Time-shares and cooperative investments in real estate used as a primary or secondary residence are not considered to be private placements.
 
Investment Clubs - Access Persons are prohibited from participating in investment clubs unless such membership is approved in writing by the CCO.
 
Client Mutual Funds - Access Persons investing in any “Client Mutual Funds” are subject to a sixty (60) calendar day holding period. The current list of Client Mutual Funds is maintained on the Compliance Department’s Intranet Web Page. The following funds are exempt from these requirements: money market funds; short-term income funds ; and any non-proprietary ETFs (non-proprietary means ALPS is not the investment adviser for the ETF).
 
Excess Trading - While active personal trading may not in and of itself raise issues under applicable laws and regulations, we believe that a very high volume of personal trading can be time consuming and can increase the possibility of actual or apparent conflicts with portfolio transactions. Accordingly, an unusually high level of personal trading activity is strongly discouraged and may be monitored by the Compliance Department to the extent appropriate for the category of person, and a pattern of excessive trading may lead to the taking of appropriate action under the Code.
 
Front Running - Access Persons may not engage in "front running," that is, the purchase or sale of securities for their own accounts on the basis of their knowledge of a Fund’s trading positions or plans.
 
Material Nonpublic Information - Access Persons possessing material nonpublic information regarding any issuer of securities must refrain from purchasing or selling securities of that issuer until the information becomes public or is no longer considered material.
 
Account Restrictions
 
Managed Accounts – Access Persons are restricted from establishing an external managed account (also referred to as a discretionary account) with any adviser that does business with ALPS Advisors, Inc.
 
 
 
12

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Reporting Requirements
 
Access Persons are subject to the following Initial, Quarterly and Annual Reporting requirements unless specifically exempted by Rule 204A-1 or 17j-1.
 
All Covered Securities are subject to the reporting requirements of the Code. The following securities are exempt from the reporting requirements:
 
Direct Obligations of any sovereign government or supra-national agency;
 
Bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;
 
Investments in dividend reinvestment plans;
 
Variable and fixed insurance products; and
 
Non-Client open-end mutual funds.
 
IRC 401(k) plans are also exempt from the reporting requirements except if held in self-directed brokerage accounts. Access Persons must report holdings of or transactions in Employee Stock Ownership Programs (“ESOPs”) or pension or retirement plans if they have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership interest in any Covered Securities held by the plan.
 
a. Initial Holdings Reports for Access Persons
 
Within ten (10) calendar days of being designated as, or determined to be, an Access Person (which may be upon hire), each such person must provide the Compliance Department with a statement of all Covered Securities holdings and brokerage accounts. More specifically, each such person must provide the following information:
 
 
The title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the employee had any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership when the person became an employee;
 
 
The name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the employee maintained an account in which any securities were held for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee as of the date the person became an employee; and
 
 
The date the report is submitted by the employee.
 
b. Duplicate Statements
 
Upon employment and for any accounts opened during employment, an Access Person must instruct his/her broker-dealer, trust account manager or other entity through which he/she has a securities trading account to send transaction activity information directly to the ALPS Compliance Department. If an account is held with an entity that does not supply electronic feeds to ALPS, the Access Person must instruct the entity to supply periodic statements (no less frequent then quarterly). Please refer to Appendix B for a list of firms that are currently set up to supply information electronically to ALPS.
 
This applies to all accounts in which an Access Persons has direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. A sample letter with the Compliance address is located under Appendix C of this Code.
 
c. Quarterly Transaction Reports
 
Each Access Person is required to submit quarterly his/her Quarterly Securities Report within thirty (30) calendar days of each calendar quarter end to the Compliance Department. If no transactions were executed or if transactions were exempt from reporting, this should be noted on the quarterly report.
 
 
 
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ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Specific information to be provided includes:
 
1. With respect to any Securities Transaction* during the quarter in a Covered Security in which any employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership:
 
The date of the transaction, the title, the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares and the principal amount of each Security involved;
 
The nature of the transaction, (i.e., purchase, sale, or other type of acquisition or disposition);
 
The price of the Security at which the transaction was effected;
 
The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which transaction was effected; and
 
The date that the report is submitted by the employee.
 
 
* Transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan need not be reported in the Quarterly Securities
Report but holdings in Covered Securities are subject to the annual holdings reporting requirement discussed
below.
 
2. With respect to any account established by the Access Person in which any securities were held during the quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person:
 
The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with whom the employee established the account;
 
The date the account was established; and
 
The date the report is submitted by the employee.
 
d. Annual Holdings Reports
 
Each Access Person is required to submit annually (i.e., once each and every calendar year) a list of applicable holdings, which is current as of a date no more than forty five (45) calendar days before the report is submitted. In addition, each employee is required to certify annually that he/she has reviewed and understands the provisions of the Code.
 
Specific information to be provided includes:
 
The title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership;
 
The name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the employee maintains an account in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee; and
 
The date that the report is submitted by the employee.
 
 
 
14

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Investment Persons
 
Trading Restrictions
 
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) - Investment Persons are prohibited from acquiring securities through an allocation by the underwriter of an initial public offering ("IPO"). There may be certain exceptions for a situation with prior written disclosure to and written approval from the CCO, could acquire shares in an IPO of his/her employer.
 
Limited or Private Offerings - Investment Persons are prohibited from purchasing securities in a private offering unless the purchase is approved in writing by the CCO. Private placements include certain co-operative investments in real estate, commingled investment vehicles such as hedge funds, and investments in family owned businesses. Time-shares and cooperative investments in real estate used as a primary or secondary residence are not considered to be private placements.
 
Investment Clubs - Investment Persons are prohibited from participating in investment clubs unless such membership is approved in writing by the CCO.
 
Options - Investment Persons are prohibited from buying or selling options on Covered Securities. There is an exception for persons who have received options from a prior employer. In those instances, the exercising or selling of options received from the prior employer is subject to the pre-clearance and reporting requirements of this Code.
 
Client Mutual Funds - Investment Persons investing in “Client Mutual Funds” are subject to a sixty (60) calendar day holding period. The current list of Client Mutual Funds is maintained on the Compliance Department’s Intranet Web Page. These funds are also subject to reporting requirements and pre-clearance requirements of this Code. Pre-clearance requirements may be waived for purchases through an automated and systematic account such as a company 401k plan. The following funds are exempt from these requirements: money market funds; short-term income funds; and any non-proprietary ETFs (non-proprietary means ALPS is not the investment adviser for the ETF).
 
Short-Term Trading - Investment Persons are prohibited from the purchase and sale or sale and purchase of the same Covered Securities within thirty (30) calendar days. Client Mutual Funds are subject to a sixty (60) calendar day holding period. The following funds are exempt from these requirements: money market funds; short-term income funds; and any non-proprietary ETFs (non-proprietary means ALPS is not the investment adviser for the ETF).
 
Blackout Period Blackout periods may be determined and established by the CCO. Any such periods will be communicated to all affected persons as necessary.
 
Excess Trading - While active personal trading may not in and of itself raise issues under applicable laws and regulations, we believe that a very high volume of personal trading can be time consuming and can increase the possibility of actual or apparent conflicts with portfolio transactions. Accordingly, an unusually high level of personal trading activity is strongly discouraged and may be monitored by the Compliance Department to the extent appropriate for the category of person, and a pattern of excessive trading may lead to the taking of appropriate action under the Code.
 
Front Running - Investment Persons may not engage in "front running," that is, the purchase or sale of securities for their own accounts on the basis of their knowledge of a Fund’s trading positions or plans.
 
Material Nonpublic Information – Investment Persons possessing material nonpublic information regarding any issuer of securities must refrain from purchasing or selling securities of that issuer until the information becomes public or is no longer considered material.
 
 
 
15

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Shorting of Securities - Investment Persons may not engage in the practice of short selling securities.
 
Account Restrictions
 
Managed Accounts – Access Persons are restricted from establishing an external managed account (also referred to as a discretionary account) with any adviser that does business with ALPS Advisors, Inc.
 
Pre-Clearance
 
Unless the investment transaction is exempted from pre-clearance requirements all Investment Persons must request and receive pre-clearance prior to engaging in the purchase or sale of a Covered Security.
 
Pre-clearance approval is only good until midnight local time of the day after approval is obtained. "Good-till-Cancelled" orders are not permitted. "Limit" orders must receive pre-clearance every day the order is open.
 
As there could be many reasons for pre-clearance being granted or denied, Investment Persons should not infer from the pre-clearance response anything regarding the security for which pre-clearance was requested.
 
Exempted Securities/Transactions
 
Pre-clearance by Investment Persons is not required for the following transactions:
 
Transactions that meet the de minimis exception (defined below);
 
Transactions made in an account where the employee, pursuant to a valid legal instrument, has given full investment discretion to an unaffiliated/unrelated third party;
 
Purchases or sales of direct obligations of the government of the United States or other sovereign government or supra-national agency, high quality short-term debt instruments, bankers acceptances, certificates of deposit ("CDs"), commercial paper, repurchase agreements.
 
Automatic investments in programs where the investment decisions are non-discretionary after the initial selections by the account owner (although the initial selection requires pre-clearance);
 
Investments in dividend reinvestment plans;
 
Exercised rights, warrants or tender offers;
 
General obligation municipal bonds, transactions in Employee Stock Ownership Programs (“ESOPs), and Share Builder and similar services;
 
Securities received via a gift or inheritance; and
 
Non-Client open-end mutual funds.
 
De Minimis Exception
 
A “de minimis transaction” is a personal trade that meets the following conditions: (a) less than 1,000 shares and (b) is made with no knowledge that a Client Mutual Fund have purchased or sold the Covered Security, or the Client Mutual Fund or its investment adviser considered purchasing or selling the Covered Security. Transactions effected pursuant to the de minimis exception remain subject to reporting requirements of the Code.
 
 
 
16

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Serving on a Board of Directors
 
Investment Personnel may not serve on the board of directors of a publicly traded company without prior written authorization from the Ethics Committee. No such service shall be approved without a finding by the Ethics Committee that the board service would be consistent with the interests of Clients. If board service is authorized by the Ethics Committee, in some instances, it may be required that the Investment Personnel serving as a Director may be isolated from making investment decisions with respect to the company involved through the use of “Chinese Walls” or other procedures.
 
Reporting Requirements
 
Investment Persons are subject to the following Initial, Quarterly and Annual Reporting requirements unless specifically exempted by Rule 204A-1 or 17j-1.
 
All Covered Securities are subject to the reporting requirements of the Code. The following securities are exempt from the reporting requirements:
 
Direct Obligations of any sovereign government or supra-national agency;
 
Bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments, including repurchase agreements;
 
Investments in dividend reinvestment plans;
 
Variable and fixed insurance products; and
 
Non-Client open-end mutual funds.
 
IRC 401(k) plans are also exempt from the reporting requirements except if held in self-directed brokerage accounts. Investment Persons must report holdings of or transactions in ESOPs or pension or retirement plans if they have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership interest in any Covered Securities held by the plan.
 
Additionally, securities received via a gift or inheritance are required to be reported, but are not subject to the pre-clearance requirements of the Code.
 
a. Initial Holdings Reports for Investment
 
Within ten (10) calendar days of being designated as, or determined to be, an Investment Person (which may be upon hire), each such person must provide the Compliance Department with a statement of all Covered Securities holdings and brokerage accounts. More specifically, each such person must provide the following information:
 
 
The title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the employee had any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership when the person became an employee;
 
 
The name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the employee maintained an account in which any securities were held for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee as of the date the person became an employee; and
 
 
The date the report is submitted by the employee.
 
b. Duplicate Statements
 
Upon ALPS employment and for any accounts opened during employment, an Investment Person must instruct his/her broker-dealer, trust account manager or other entity through which he/she has a securities trading account to send transaction activity information directly to our Compliance Department. If an account is held with an
 
 
 
17

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
entity that does not supply electronic feeds to ALPS, the Access Person must instruct the entity to supply periodic statements (no less frequent then quarterly) to the Compliance Department. Please refer to Appendix B for a list of firms that are currently set up to supply information electronically to ALPS.
 
This applies to all accounts in which an employee has direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership. A sample letter with the Compliance address is located under Appendix C of this Code.
 
c. Quarterly Transaction Reports
 
Each Investment Person is required to submit quarterly his/her Quarterly Securities Report within thirty (30) calendar days of each calendar quarter end to the Compliance Department. If no transactions were executed or if transactions were exempt from reporting, this should be noted on the quarterly report.
 
Specific information to be provided includes:
 
1. With respect to any Securities Transaction* during the quarter in a Covered Security in which any employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership:
 
The date of the transaction, the title, the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares and the principal amount of each Security involved;
 
The nature of the transaction, (i.e., purchase, sale, or other type of acquisition or disposition);
 
The price of the Security at which the transaction was effected;
 
The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which transaction was effected; and
 
The date that the report is submitted by the employee.
 
 
*Transactions effected pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan need not be reported in the Quarterly Securities
Report but holdings in Covered Securities are subject to the annual holdings reporting requirement discussed
below.
 
2. With respect to any account established by the employee in which any securities were held during the quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee:
 
The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with whom the employee established the account;
 
The date the account was established; and
 
The date the report is submitted by the employee.
 
d. Annual Holdings Reports
 
Each Investment Person is required to submit annually (i.e., once each and every calendar year) a list of applicable holdings, which is current as of a date no more than forty five (45) calendar days before the report is submitted. In addition, each employee is required to certify annually that he/she has reviewed and understands the provisions of the Code.
 
Specific information to be provided includes:
 
The title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the employee had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership;
 
The name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the employee maintains an account in which any securities are held for the direct or indirect benefit of the employee; and
 
The date that the report is submitted by the employee.
 
 
 
18

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Sanctions
 
Upon discovering a violation of this Code by an employee or his/her family member or related party, the CCO may impose such sanctions as he/she deems appropriate, including, among other things, the following:
 
A letter of censure to the violator;
 
A monetary fine levied on the violator;
 
Suspension of the employment of the violator;
 
Termination of the employment of the violator;
 
Civil referral to the SEC or other civil regulatory authorities determined by ALPS; or
 
Criminal referral – determined by ALPS.
 
Examples of possible sanctions include, but are not limited to:
 
A verbal warning, warning letter, with a copy to the employee’s direct report, for a first time pre-clearance or reporting violation;
 
Monetary fines and disgorgement of profits when an employee profits on the purchase of a security he/she should not have purchased or redeemed; and
 
Recommendation for suspension or termination if an employee is a serial violator of the Code.
 
Violations and proposed sanctions will be documented by the Compliance Department and will be submitted to the CCO (or his designee) for review and approval. In some cases, the Code of Ethics Committee may assist in determining the materiality of the violation and appropriate sanctions. Records of all reviews are the responsibility of and will be maintained by the Compliance Department.
 
In determining the materiality of the violation, reviewers may consider:
 
Indications of fraud, neglect or indifference to Code of Ethics provisions;
 
Evidence of violation of law, policy or guideline;
 
Frequency of repeat violations;
 
Level of influence of the violator;
 
Any mitigating circumstances that may exist.
 
In assessing the appropriate penalties, other factors considered may include:
 
The extent of harm (actual or potential) to client interests;
 
The extent of personal benefit or profit;
 
Prior record of the violator;
 
The degree to which there is a personal benefit or perceived benefit from unique knowledge obtained through employment with ALPS;
 
The level of accurate, honest and timely cooperation from the violator; and
 
Any mitigating circumstances that may exist.
 
Appeals Process
 
If an employee decides to appeal a sanction, he/she should contact the CCO who will refer the issue to the Ethics Committee for their review and consideration.
 
 
 
19

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Compliance and Supervisory Procedures
 
The CCO or his designee is responsible for implementing supervisory and compliance review procedures. Supervisory procedures can be divided into two classifications: prevention of violations and detection of violations. Compliance review procedures include preparation of special and annual reports, record maintenance and review and confidentiality preservation.
 
Prevention of Violations
 
To prevent violations of the Rules, the CCO or his/her designee should, in addition to enforcing the procedures outlined in the Rules:
 
1.
Review and update the procedures as necessary, at least once annually, including but not limited to a review of the Code by the CCO, the Ethics Committee and/or counsel;
 
2.
Answer questions regarding the Code;
 
3.
Request from all persons upon commencement of services, and annually thereafter, any applicable forms and reports as required by the procedures;
 
4.
Identify all Access Persons and Investment Persons, and notify them of their responsibilities and reporting requirements;
 
5.
With such assistance from the Human Resources Department as may be appropriate, maintain a continuing education program consisting of the following:
 
Orienting employees who are new to ALPS and the Rules; and
 
Further educating employees by distributing memos or other materials that maybe issued by outside organizations such as the Investment Company Institute which discuss the issue of insider trading and other issues raised by the Rules.
 
Detection of Violations
 
To detect violations of these procedures, the CCO, or designee, should, in addition to enforcing the policies, implement procedures to review holding and transaction reports, forms and statements relative to applicable restrictions, as provided under the Code.
 
Compliance Procedures
 
Reports of Potential Deviations or Violations
 
Upon learning of a potential deviation from or violation of the policies, the CCO shall either present the information at the next regular meeting of the Ethics Committee or conduct a special meeting. The Ethics Committee shall thereafter take such action as it deems appropriate (see Penalty Guidelines).
 
Annual Reports
 
The CCO shall prepare a written report to the Ethics Committee and Senior Management at least annually. The written report shall include any certification required by Rule 17j-1. This report shall set forth the following information:
 
Copies of the Code, as revised, including a summary of any changes made since the last report;
 
 
 
20

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Identification of any material issues including material violations requiring significant remedial action since the last report;
 
Identification of any material conflicts arising since the last report; and
 
Recommendations, if any, regarding changes in existing restrictions or procedures based upon experience under these Rules, evolving industry practices, or developments in applicable laws or regulations.
 
Records
 
Compliance Department shall maintain the following records:
 
A copy of this Code and any amendment thereof which is or at any time within the past five years has been in effect;
 
A record of any violation of this Code, or any amendment thereof, and any action taken as a result of such violation;
 
Files for personal securities account statements, all reports and other forms submitted by employees pursuant to these Rules and any other pertinent information;
 
A list of all persons who are, or have been, required to submit reports pursuant to this Code;
 
A list of persons who are, or within the last five years have been responsible for, reviewing transaction and holdings reports; and
 
A copy of each report produced pursuant to this Code.
 
Inspection
 
The records and reports maintained by the Compliance Department pursuant to the Rules shall at all times be available for inspection, without prior notice, by any member of the Ethics Committee.
 
Confidentiality
 
All procedures, reports and records monitored, prepared or maintained pursuant to this Code shall be considered confidential and proprietary to ALPS and shall be maintained and protected accordingly. Except as otherwise required by law or this Code, such matters shall not be disclosed to anyone other than to members of the Ethics Committee or the Compliance Department, as requested.
 
The Ethics Committee
 
The purpose of this section is to describe the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee was created to provide an effective mechanism for monitoring compliance with the standards and procedures contained in the Rules and to take appropriate action at such times as violations or potential violations are discovered.
 
Membership of the Ethics Committee
 
The Committee consists of Bradley Swenson, Chief Compliance Officer, Allyson Wolfram, Human Resources Director, Jeremy May, President of ALPS Fund Services, Inc. and Tom Carter, President of ALPS Advisors, Inc., ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc. and ALPS Distributors, Inc.
 
 
 
21

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
The Chief Compliance Officer currently serves as the Chairman of the Committee. The composition of the Committee may be changed from time-to-time and the Committee may seek input of other employees concerning matters related to this Code as they deem appropriate.
 
Committee Meetings
 
The Committee shall meet approximately every six months, or as often as necessary, to review operation of this Code and to consider technical deviations from operational procedures, inadvertent oversights or any other potential violation of the Rules. Deviations alternatively may be addressed by including them in the employee’s personnel records maintained by ALPS. Committee meetings are primarily intended for consideration of the general operation of the compliance procedures as well as for substantive or serious departures from the standards and procedures in the Rules.
 
Other persons may attend a Committee meeting, at the discretion of the Committee, as the Committee shall deem appropriate. Any individual whose conduct has given rise to the meeting may also be called upon, but shall not have the right, to appear before the Committee. It is not required that minutes of Committee meetings be maintained; in lieu of minutes the Committee may issue a report describing any action taken. The report shall be included in the confidential file maintained by the CCO with respect to the particular employee whose conduct has been the subject of the meeting.
 
If a Committee member has committed, or is the subject of, a violation, he or she shall not be considered a voting member of the Committee or be involved in the review or decisions of the Committee with respect to his or her activities, or sanctions.
 
Special Discretion
 
The Committee shall have the authority by unanimous action to exempt any person or class of persons or transaction or class of transactions from all or a portion of the Rules, provided that:
 
The Committee determines, on advice of counsel, that the particular application of all or a portion of the Code is not legally required;
 
The Committee determines that the likelihood of any abuse of the Code by such exempted person(s) or as a result of such exempted transaction is remote;
 
The terms or conditions upon which any such exemption is granted is evidenced in writing; and
 
The exempted person(s) agrees to execute and deliver to the CCO, at least annually, a signed Acknowledgment Form, which Acknowledgment shall, by operation of this provision, describe such exemptions and the terms and conditions upon which it was granted.
 
The Committee shall also have the authority by unanimous action to impose such additional requirements or restrictions as it, in its sole discretion, determines appropriate or necessary, as outlined in the Penalty Guidelines.
 
Any exemption, and any additional requirement or restriction, may be withdrawn by the Committee at any time (such withdrawal action is not required to be unanimous).
 
 
 
22

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Reporting Forms
 
 
 
23

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Appendix A– Gift Disclosure Form
 
 

ALPS Gift Disclosure Form

Name of ALPS Employee

Gift Description
 
 
 
 
 

Received or Given

From or To Whom

Estimated Value of Gift

 
 
 
24

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
Appendix B – Broker/Dealers with Electronic Feeds
 
 
Charles Schwab
 
Scottrade
 
TD Ameritrade
 
E-Trade
 
Merrill Lynch
 
Morgan Stanley
 
Fidelity
 
RBC Capital Markets
 
UBS
 
Wells Fargo
 
 
 
25

 
 
ALPS Code of Ethics

 
 
Appendix C – Broker/Dealer Duplicate Statement/Confirmation Request Letter
 
Date:
 
Your Broker
Street Address
City, State Zip Code:
 
Re: Your Name
 
       Your account number or S.S. number
 
 
Dear Sir or Madam:
 
Please be advised that I’m an employee of ALPS Holdings, Inc. (“ALPS”). Pursuant to ALPS Code of Ethics, I am requesting that a duplicate copy of my account statement(s) be sent to the attention of:
 
         ALPS Holdings, Inc.
         Attn: Compliance Department
         P.O. Box 328
         Denver, Colorado 80201
 
Thank you for your cooperation.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
 
Your Name
 
 
26
 

 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
Power of Attorney
 
Know All Men By These Presents, that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organization, hereby constitutes and appoints Graham Day and Philip L. Ziesemer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
 
In Witness Whereof, the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organization has hereunto set his hand this 7th day of April, 2015.
 
 
/s/ Benjamin T. Fulton                  
Benjamin T. Fulton
 
State of Illinois )
                                  )  SS
County of Cook )
 
On this 7th day of April, 2015, personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, the person named above who is known to me to be the person whose name and signature is affixed to the foregoing Power of Attorney and who acknowledged the same to be his voluntary act and deed for the intent and purposes therein set forth.
 
“Official Seal”
 
Bernice G. Johnson                      
/s/ Bernice G. Johnson                 
Notary Public, State of Illinois
Notary Public
 
My Commission Expires: 2/21/2016
 
 
 

 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust

Power of Attorney
 
Know All Men By These Presents, that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organization, hereby constitutes and appoints Benjamin T. Fulton, Graham Day and Philip L. Ziesemer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
 
In Witness Whereof, the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organization has hereunto set his hand this 7th day of April, 2015.
 
 
/s/ Bruce Howard                          
Bruce Howard
 
State of Illinois )
                                  )  SS
County of Cook )
 
On this 7th day of April, 2015, personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, the person named above who is known to me to be the person whose name and signature is affixed to the foregoing Power of Attorney and who acknowledged the same to be his voluntary act and deed for the intent and purposes therein set forth.
 
“Official Seal”
 
Bernice G. Johnson                      
/s/ Bernice G. Johnson                 
Notary Public, State of Illinois
Notary Public
 
My Commission Expires: 2/21/2016

 
 
 

 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust
 
Power of Attorney
 
Know All Men By These Presents, that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organization, hereby constitutes and appoints Benjamin T. Fulton, Graham Day and Philip L. Ziesemer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
 
In Witness Whereof, the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organization has hereunto set his hand this 7th day of April, 2015.
 
 
/s/ Gregory D. Bunch                    
Gregory D. Bunch
 
State of Illinois )
                                  )  SS
County of Cook )
 
On this 7th day of April, 2015, personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, the person named above who is known to me to be the person whose name and signature is affixed to the foregoing Power of Attorney and who acknowledged the same to be his voluntary act and deed for the intent and purposes therein set forth.
 
“Official Seal”
 
Bernice G. Johnson                      
/s/ Bernice G. Johnson                 
Notary Public, State of Illinois
Notary Public
 
My Commission Expires:  2/21/2016
 
 
 

 
 
Elkhorn ETF Trust

Power of Attorney
 
Know All Men By These Presents, that the undersigned, a trustee of the above-referenced organization, hereby constitutes and appoints Benjamin T. Fulton, Graham Day and Philip L. Ziesemer and each of them (with full power to each of them to act alone) his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, for him on his behalf and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file one or more Registration Statements on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of l933 and the Investment Company Act of l940, including any amendment or amendments thereto, with all exhibits, and any and all other documents required to be filed with any regulatory authority, federal or state, relating to the registration thereof, or the issuance of securities thereof, without limitation, granting unto said attorneys, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises in order to effectuate the same as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
 
In Witness Whereof, the undersigned trustee of the above-referenced organization has hereunto set his hand this 7th day of April, 2015.
 
 
/s/ Jeffrey P. Helton                     
Jeffrey P. Helton
 
State of Illinois )
                                  )  SS
County of Cook )
 
On this 7th day of April, 2015, personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, the person named above who is known to me to be the person whose name and signature is affixed to the foregoing Power of Attorney and who acknowledged the same to be his voluntary act and deed for the intent and purposes therein set forth.
 
“Official Seal”
 
Bernice G. Johnson                      
/s/ Bernice G. Johnson                 
Notary Public, State of Illinois
Notary Public
 
My Commission Expires: 2/21/2016