RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a number of significant risks. In addition to the other information contained in this prospectus, you should consider carefully the following information before making an investment in our common stock. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the net asset value of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Continuous Public Offering and an Investment in Our Common Stock

Our shares are not listed on an exchange or quoted through a quotation system, and will not be for the foreseeable future, if ever. Therefore, if stockholders purchase shares in this offering, it is unlikely that they will be able to sell them and, if they are able to do so, it is unlikely that they will receive a full return of their invested capital.

Our shares are illiquid assets for which there is not a secondary market and it is not expected that any will develop in the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that we will complete a liquidity event. A liquidity event could include: (1) a listing of our shares on a national securities exchange; (2) the sale of all or substantially all of our assets either on a complete portfolio basis or individually followed by a liquidation; or (3) a merger or another transaction approved by our board of directors in which our stockholders likely will receive cash or shares of a publicly traded company, including potentially a company that is an affiliate of us. Provided we offer a No-Load Share Class, upon the occurrence of a liquidity event, all Class T shares will automatically convert into shares of such No-Load Share Class and the distribution fee will terminate.

In addition, any shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program may be purchased at a price which may reflect a discount from the purchase price stockholders paid for the shares being repurchased. See “Share Repurchase Program” for a detailed description of our share repurchase program. If our shares are listed, we cannot assure stockholders that a public trading market will develop. In addition, a liquidity event involving a listing of our shares on a national securities exchange may include certain restrictions on the ability of stockholders to sell their shares. Further, even if we do complete a liquidity event, stockholders may not receive a return of all of their invested capital.

We are not obligated to complete a liquidity event by a specified date or at all; therefore, it will be difficult for an investor to sell his or her shares.

A liquidity event could include: (1) a listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange; (2) the sale of all or substantially all of our assets either on a complete portfolio basis or individually followed by a liquidation; or (3) a merger or another transaction approved by our board of directors in which our stockholders likely will receive cash or shares of a publicly traded company, including potentially a company that is an affiliate of us. However, there can be no assurance that we will complete a liquidity event by a specified date or at all. If we do not successfully complete a liquidity event, liquidity for a stockholder’s shares will be limited to our share repurchase program, which we have no obligation to maintain.

FSIC IV Advisor may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event, which may result in actions that are not in the best interest of our stockholders.

The distribution fee will be payable by us to compensate our affiliated dealer manager and its affiliates for services and expenses in connection with the ongoing marketing, sale and distribution of our shares. The distribution fee will terminate for all Class T stockholders upon a liquidity event. As such, FSIC IV Advisor, an affiliate of our dealer manager, may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event if such amounts receivable by our dealer manager have not been fully paid. A delay in a liquidity event may not be in the best interests of our stockholders.

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Investors will not know the purchase price per share at the time they submit their subscription agreements and could receive fewer shares of common stock than anticipated if our board of directors determines to increase the offering price to comply with the requirement that we avoid selling Class T shares at a net offering price below the net asset value per share of such class.

The purchase price at which an investor purchases Class T shares will be determined at each weekly closing date to ensure that the sales price of such class, after deducting upfront selling commissions and applicable dealer manager fees, if any, is equal to or greater than the net asset value per share of such class. As a result, in the event of an increase in the net asset value per share of such class, the investor’s purchase price may be higher than the prior weekly closing price per share of such class, and therefore he or she may receive a smaller number of Class T shares than if he or she had subscribed at the prior weekly closing price. See “Determination of Net Asset Value.”

We are a relatively new company and have a limited operating history.

We were formed on February 25, 2015 and formally commenced investment operations on January 6, 2016 after satisfying the minimum offering requirement of selling, in the aggregate, $1.0 million of our common stock to persons not affiliated with us or FSIC IV Advisor. We are subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objectives and that the value of our common stock could decline substantially.

As a new company with relatively few investments, our continuous public offering may be deemed to be a “blind pool” offering. An investor may not have the opportunity to evaluate historical data or assess our future investments prior to purchasing our shares.

Other than those investments reflected in the schedule of investments in our most recent financial statements at the time an investor subscribed for our shares, an investor will not be able to evaluate the economic merits, transaction terms or other financial or operational data concerning future investments we make using the proceeds from our continuous public offering prior to making a decision to purchase our shares. An investor must rely on FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM to implement our investment policies, to evaluate all of our investment opportunities and to structure the terms of our investments rather than evaluating our investments in advance of purchasing shares of our common stock. Because investors are not able to evaluate our investments in advance of purchasing our shares, our continuous public offering may entail more risk than other types of offerings. This additional risk may hinder an investor’s ability to achieve their own personal investment objectives related to portfolio diversification, risk-adjusted investment returns and other objectives.

If we are unable to raise substantial funds in our ongoing, continuous “best efforts” public offering, we will be limited in the number and type of investments we may make, and the value of a stockholder’s investment in us may be reduced in the event our assets under-perform.

Our continuous public offering is being made on a best efforts basis, whereby the dealer manager and broker-dealers participating in the offering are only required to use their best efforts to sell our shares and have no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the shares. Even though we established a minimum size of our offering necessary for us to release funds from the escrow account and utilize subscription funds, such amount will not, by itself, be sufficient for us to purchase a portfolio of investments that meets our investment objectives and criteria. To the extent that less than the maximum number of shares is subscribed for, the opportunity for the allocation of our investments among various issuers and industries may be decreased, and the returns achieved on those investments may be reduced as a result of allocating all of our expenses over a smaller capital base.

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The dealer manager in our continuous public offering may be unable to sell a sufficient number of shares for us to achieve our investment objectives.

The dealer manager for our continuous public offering is FS Investment Solutions. There is no assurance that our dealer manager will be able to sell a sufficient number of shares to allow us to have adequate funds to purchase a portfolio of investments allocated among various issuers and industries and generate income sufficient to cover our expenses. As a result, we may be unable to achieve our investment objectives and stockholders could lose some or all of the value of their investment.

Because the dealer manager for our continuous public offering is one of our affiliates, stockholders will not have the benefit of an independent due diligence review of us by our affiliated dealer manager, which is customarily performed in firm commitment underwritten offerings; the absence of an independent due diligence review by our affiliated dealer manager increases the risks and uncertainty faced as a stockholder.

The dealer manager for our continuous public offering is one of our affiliates. As a result, its due diligence review and investigation of us and this prospectus cannot be considered to be an independent review. Therefore, stockholders do not have the benefit of an independent review and investigation of our offering of the type normally performed by an unaffiliated, independent underwriter in a firm commitment underwritten public securities offering.

Our ability to successfully conduct our continuous public offering depends, in part, on the ability of the dealer manager to establish, operate and maintain a network of broker-dealers.

The success of our continuous public offering, and correspondingly our ability to implement our business strategy, depends upon the ability of the dealer manager to establish, operate and maintain a network of licensed securities broker-dealers and other agents to sell our shares. If the dealer manager fails to perform, we may not be able to raise adequate proceeds through our continuous public offering to implement our investment strategy. If we are unsuccessful in implementing our investment strategy, stockholders could lose all or a part of their investment.

Only a limited number of shares will be repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program and stockholders may not be able to sell all of their shares under our share repurchase program or recover the amount of their investment in those shares.

Our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that limit stockholders’ ability to sell their shares. We intend to limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program as follows: (1) we currently intend to limit the number of shares to be repurchased during any calendar year to the number of shares we can repurchase with the proceeds we receive from the issuance of shares of our common stock under our distribution reinvestment plan, although at the discretion of our board of directors, we may also use cash on hand, cash available from borrowings and cash from the liquidation of investments as of the end of the applicable period to repurchase shares; (2) beginning with the calendar quarter March 31, 2017, which is the first full calendar quarter in the year following the date that we satisfied the minimum offering requirement, we will limit the number of shares to be repurchased in any calendar year to 10.0% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding in the prior calendar year, or 2.5% in each calendar quarter (though the actual number of shares that we offer to repurchase may be less in light of the limitations noted above); (3) unless you tender all of your shares, you must tender at least 25% of the number of shares you have purchased and generally must maintain a minimum balance of $5,000 in Class T shares, subsequent to submitting a portion of your shares for repurchase by us; and (4) to the extent that the number of shares tendered for repurchase exceeds the number of shares that we are able to repurchase, we will repurchase shares on a pro rata basis, not on a first-come, first-served basis. If we offer additional classes of our common stock, our board of directors reserves the right, in its sole

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discretion, to limit the number of shares to be repurchased for each class by applying the limitations on the number of shares to be repurchased, noted above, on a per class basis. Further, we will have no obligation to repurchase shares if the repurchase would violate the restrictions on distributions under federal law or Maryland law, which prohibits distributions that would cause a corporation to fail to meet statutory tests of solvency. Any of the foregoing limitations may prevent us from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year. For example, our affiliate, FS Investment Corporation, commenced a share repurchase program in March 2010 with substantially similar terms as our share repurchase program. Because FS Investment Corporation had relatively few shares outstanding during the first year of its operations, the limitation described in clause (2) above resulted in fewer than all of the tendered shares being repurchased in two tender offers conducted by FS Investment Corporation in 2010.

In addition, our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program at any time. We will notify stockholders of such developments (1) in our quarterly reports or (2) by means of a separate mailing to stockholders, accompanied by disclosure in a current or periodic report under the Exchange Act. In addition, although we have adopted a share repurchase program, we have discretion to not repurchase your shares, to suspend the share repurchase program and to cease repurchases. In addition, any shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program may be purchased at a significant discount from the purchase price stockholders paid for the shares being repurchased. Further, the share repurchase program has many limitations and should not be relied upon as a method to sell shares promptly or at a desired price.

Additionally, our repurchase of shares will decrease our assets, and, therefore, will have the effect of increasing our expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect our ability to be fully invested or force us to maintain a higher percentage of our assets in liquid investments, which may harm our investment performance.

The timing of our repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program may be at a time that is disadvantageous to our stockholders.

When we make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program, we may offer to repurchase shares at a price that is lower than the price that stockholders paid for shares in our offering. As a result, to the extent investors have the ability to sell their shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the price at which a stockholder may sell shares, which we expect will be at the net offering price in effect on the date of repurchase, may be lower than what an investor paid in connection with the purchase of shares in our offering.

In addition, in the event a stockholder chooses to participate in our share repurchase program, the stockholder will be required to provide us with notice of intent to participate prior to knowing what the repurchase price will be on the repurchase date. Although a stockholder will have the ability to withdraw a repurchase request prior to the expiration date of such tender offer, to the extent a stockholder seeks to sell shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the stockholder will be required to do so without knowledge of what the repurchase price of our shares will be on the repurchase date.

We may be unable to invest a significant portion of the net proceeds of our offering on acceptable terms in an acceptable timeframe.

Delays in investing the net proceeds of our offering may impair our performance. We cannot assure investors that we will be able to identify any investments that meet our investment objectives or that any investment that we make will produce a positive return. We may be unable to invest the net proceeds of our offering on acceptable terms within the time period that we anticipate or at all, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.

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In addition, even if GDFM identifies privately negotiated investment opportunities that meet our investment objectives, because we do not have exemptive relief to engage in co-investment transactions with GDFM and its affiliates, we will be permitted to co-invest with GDFM and its affiliates only in accordance with existing regulatory guidance (e.g., where price is the only negotiated term) and the allocation policies of FSIC IV Advisor, GDFM and their respective affiliates.

Prior to investing in securities of portfolio companies, we will invest the net proceeds of our continuous public offering primarily in cash, cash equivalents, including money market funds, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements and high-quality debt instruments maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, which may produce returns that are significantly lower than the returns which we expect to achieve when our portfolio is fully invested in securities meeting our investment objectives. As a result, any distributions that we pay while our portfolio is not fully invested in securities meeting our investment objectives may be lower than the distributions that we may be able to pay when our portfolio is fully invested in securities meeting our investment objectives.

We may pay distributions from offering proceeds, borrowings or the sale of assets to the extent our cash flows from operations, net investment income or earnings are not sufficient to fund declared distributions.

To the extent declared distributions exceed our net investment income or cash flow from operations, we may fund distributions from the uninvested proceeds of our continuous public offering or borrowings, and we have not established limits on the amount of funds we may use from these sources to make future distributions. We have also paid and may continue to pay distributions from the sale of assets to the extent distributions exceed our earnings or cash flows from operations. Distributions from any of the aforementioned sources could reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in our portfolio companies.

A stockholder’s interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us.

Our stockholders do not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. Our charter authorizes us to issue 1,100,000,000 shares of common stock. Pursuant to our charter, a majority of our entire board of directors may amend our charter to increase the number of authorized shares of stock without stockholder approval. After an investor purchases shares, our board of directors may elect to sell additional shares in the future, issue equity interests in private offerings or issue share-based awards to our independent directors or employees of FSIC IV Advisor. To the extent we issue additional equity interests after an investor purchases our shares, an investor’s percentage ownership interest in us will be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, a stockholder may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of his or her shares.

Our distributions to stockholders may be funded from expense reimbursements or waivers of investment advisory fees that are subject to repayment pursuant to our expense reimbursement agreement.

For a period of time following commencement of this offering, which time period may be significant, substantial portions of our distributions have been, and may in the future, be funded through the reimbursement of certain expenses by FS Investments and its affiliates, including through the waiver of certain investment advisory fees by FSIC IV Advisor, that are subject to repayment by us within three years. Any such distributions funded through expense reimbursements or waivers of advisory fees were not based on our investment performance, and can only be sustained if we achieve positive investment performance in future periods and/or FS

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Investments and its affiliates continue to make such reimbursements or waivers of such fees. Our future repayments of amounts reimbursed or waived by FS Investments or its affiliates will reduce the distributions that stockholders would otherwise receive in the future. There can be no assurance that we will achieve the performance necessary to be able to pay distributions at a specific rate or at all. FS Investments and its affiliates have no obligation to waive advisory fees or otherwise reimburse expenses in future periods. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview—Expense Reimbursement” for a detailed discussion of the expense reimbursement agreement, including amounts reimbursed to us by FS Investments thereunder and the repayment of such amounts to FS Investments.

Certain provisions of our charter and bylaws, as well as provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the value of our common stock.

The Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, and our charter and bylaws contain certain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making difficult a change in control of our company or the removal of our incumbent directors. Under the Business Combination Act of the MGCL, certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally to include any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding shares) or an affiliate thereof are prohibited for five years and thereafter are subject to special stockholder voting requirements, to the extent that such statute is not superseded by applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. However, our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any person to the extent that such business combination receives the prior approval of our board of directors, including a majority of our directors who are not interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the Control Share Acquisition Act of the MGCL, “control shares” acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquirer, by officers or by directors who are employees of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our common stock, but such provision may be repealed at any time (before or after a control share acquisition). However, we will amend our bylaws to repeal such provision (so as to be subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act) only if our board of directors determines that it would be in our best interests and if the staff of the SEC does not object to our determination that our being subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act does not conflict with the 1940 Act. The Business Combination Act (if our board of directors should repeal the resolution) and the Control Share Acquisition Act (if we amend our bylaws to be subject to that Act) may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

In addition, at any time that we have a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and we have at least three independent directors, certain provisions of the MGCL permit our board of directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or bylaws, to implement certain takeover defenses, including adopting a classified board or increasing the vote required to remove a director.

Moreover, our board of directors may, without stockholder action, authorize the issuance of shares of stock in one or more classes or series, including preferred stock; and our board of directors may, without stockholder action, amend our charter to increase the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue.

These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change of control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the value of our common stock.

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The net asset value of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The net asset value of the market for shares of our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include: (i) changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs; (ii) loss of RIC status (once obtained) or BDC status; (iii) changes in earnings or variations in operating results; (iv) changes in the value of our portfolio of investments; (v) changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments; (vi) any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors; (vii) departure of our investment adviser or sub-adviser or certain of their respective key personnel; (viii) general economic trends and other external factors; and (ix) loss of a major funding source.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

Our investments in senior secured loans, second lien secured loans, senior secured bonds, subordinated debt and equity of private U.S. companies, including middle market companies, may be risky and there is no limit on the amount of any such investments in which we may invest.

Senior Secured Loans, Second Lien Secured Loans and Senior Secured Bonds . There is a risk that any collateral pledged by portfolio companies in which we have taken a security interest may decrease in value over time or lose its entire value, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. To the extent our debt investment is collateralized by the securities of a portfolio company’s subsidiaries, such securities may lose some or all of their value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the portfolio company. Also, in some circumstances, our security interest may be contractually or structurally subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the debt. Secured debt that is under-collateralized involves a greater risk of loss. In addition, second lien secured debt is granted a second priority security interest in collateral, which means that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay senior secured debt in full before second lien secured debt is paid. Consequently, the fact that debt is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the debt should we be forced to enforce our remedies.

Subordinated Debt. Our subordinated debt investments will generally rank junior in priority of payment to senior debt and will generally be unsecured. This may result in a heightened level of risk and volatility or a loss of principal, which could lead to the loss of the entire investment. These investments may involve additional risks that could adversely affect our investment returns. To the extent interest payments associated with such debt are deferred, such debt may be subject to greater fluctuations in valuations, and such debt could subject us and our stockholders to non-cash income. Because we will not receive any principal repayments prior to the maturity of some of our subordinated debt investments, such investments will be of greater risk than amortizing loans.

Equity Investments. We may make select equity investments. In addition, in connection with our debt investments, we on occasion may receive equity interests such as warrants or options as additional consideration. The equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact,

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may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

Non-U.S. Securities. We may invest in non-U.S. securities, which may include securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. currencies, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Because evidences of ownership of such securities usually are held outside the United States, we would be subject to additional risks if we invested in non-U.S. securities, which include possible adverse political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits and adoption of governmental restrictions which might adversely affect or restrict the payment of principal and interest on the non-U.S. securities to stockholders located outside the country of the issuer, whether from currency blockage or otherwise. Because non-U.S. securities may be purchased with and payable in foreign currencies, the value of these assets as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected unfavorably by changes in currency rates and exchange control regulations.

Below Investment Grade Risk. In addition, we may invest in securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “junk,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any proceeds. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt instruments in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

There may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability claims.

If one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In situations where a bankruptcy carries a high degree of political significance, our legal rights may be subordinated to other creditors. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower’s business or in instances where we exercise control over the borrower or render significant managerial assistance.

We generally will not control our portfolio companies.

We do not expect to control most of our portfolio companies, even though we may have board representation or board observation rights, and our debt agreements with such portfolio

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companies may contain certain restrictive covenants. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors. Due to the lack of liquidity for our investments in non-traded companies, we may not be able to dispose of our interests in our portfolio companies as readily as we would like or at an appropriate valuation. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments and investment opportunities and, accordingly, have a material adverse effect on our investment objectives and our rate of return on invested capital. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt for our financing needs, if any.

Interest rates have recently been at or near historic lows. In the event of a rising interest rate environment, payments under floating rate debt instruments generally would rise and there may be a significant number of issuers of such floating rate debt instruments that would be unable or unwilling to pay such increased interest costs and may otherwise be unable to repay their loans. Investments in floating rate debt instruments may also decline in value in response to rising interest rates if the interest rates of such investments do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Similarly, during periods of rising interest rates, fixed rate debt instruments may decline in value because the fixed rates of interest paid thereunder may be below market interest rates.

Second priority liens on collateral securing debt investments that we make in our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. If there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

Certain debt investments that we make in portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing first priority debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by such company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of and be entitled to receive proceeds from any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the debt obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against such company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the debt investments we make in our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority

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liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

Our potential investment in CLOs may be riskier than a direct investment in the debt or other securities of the underlying companies.

When investing in CLOs, we may invest in any level of a CLO’s subordination chain, including subordinated (lower-rated) tranches and residual interests (the lowest tranche). CLOs are typically highly levered and therefore, the junior debt and equity tranches that we may invest in are subject to a higher risk of total loss and deferral or nonpayment of interest than the more senior tranches to which they are subordinated. In addition, we will generally have the right to receive payments only from the CLOs, and will generally not have direct rights against the underlying borrowers or entities that sponsored the CLOs. Furthermore, the investments we make in CLOs are at times thinly traded or have only a limited trading market. As a result, investments in such CLOs may be characterized as illiquid securities.

A covenant breach by our portfolio companies may harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.

Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies’ ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies’ flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company’s income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used.

Investing in middle market companies involves a number of significant risks, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Investments in middle market companies involve some of the same risks that apply generally to investments in larger, more established companies. However, such investments have more pronounced risks in that they:

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We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

Certain investments that we may make may include equity related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or the cash value of the common stock. In addition, we may make direct equity investments in portfolio companies. The equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. We may also be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We may be unable to exercise any put rights we acquire, which grant us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company, for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

An investment strategy focused primarily on privately held companies present certain challenges, including the lack of available information about these companies.

Our investments are primarily in privately held companies. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and the ability to withstand financial distress. As a result, these companies, which may present greater credit risk than public companies, may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt securities, that we hold. Second, the investments themselves often may be illiquid. The securities of most of the companies in which we invest are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors. In addition, such securities may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale. As such, we may have difficulty exiting an investment promptly or at a desired price prior to maturity or outside of a normal amortization schedule. In addition, in a restructuring, we may receive substantially different securities than our original investment in a portfolio company, including securities in a different part of the capital structure. These investments may also be difficult to value because little public information generally exists about private companies, requiring an experienced due diligence team to analyze and value the potential portfolio company. Finally, these companies often may not have third-party debt ratings or audited financial statements. We must therefore rely on the ability of FSIC IV Advisor and/or GDFM to obtain adequate information through due diligence to evaluate the creditworthiness and potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information will generally not be subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules and regulations that govern public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments.

A lack of liquidity in certain of our investments may adversely affect our business.

We invest in certain companies whose securities are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary

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market for institutional investors and whose securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of certain of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. The reduced liquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price or at all, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies. After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the exercise of a warrant to purchase common stock. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

Our investments may include original issue discount and PIK instruments.

To the extent that we invest in original issue discount or PIK instruments and the accretion of original issue discount or PIK income constitutes a portion of our income, we will be exposed to risks associated with the requirement to include such non-cash income in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

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We have entered into a total return swap agreement which exposes us to certain risks, including market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage

Our wholly-owned financing subsidiary, Cheltenham Funding, has entered into a TRS for a portfolio of senior secured floating rate loans with Citibank. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources—Total Return Swap” for a more detailed discussion of the terms of the TRS between Cheltenham Funding and Citibank.

A TRS is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying the TRS, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during a specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate. A TRS effectively adds leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Because of the unique structure of a TRS, a TRS often offers lower financing costs than are offered through more traditional borrowing arrangements.

The TRS with Citibank enables us, through our ownership of Cheltenham Funding, to obtain the economic benefit of owning the loans subject to the TRS, without actually owning them, in return for an interest type payment to Citibank. As such, the TRS is analogous to Cheltenham Funding borrowing funds to acquire loans and incurring interest expense to a lender.

The TRS is subject to market risk, liquidity risk and risk of imperfect correlation between the value of the TRS and the loans underlying the TRS. In addition, we may incur certain costs in connection with the TRS that could in the aggregate be significant.

A TRS is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In the case of the TRS with Citibank, Cheltenham Funding is required to post cash collateral amounts to secure its obligations to Citibank under the TRS. Citibank, however, is not required to collateralize any of its obligations to Cheltenham Funding under the TRS. Cheltenham Funding bears the risk of depreciation with respect to the value of the loans underlying the TRS and is required under the terms of the TRS to post additional collateral on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of depreciation in the value of the underlying loans after such value decreases below a specified amount. The amount of collateral required to be posted by Cheltenham Funding is determined primarily on the basis of the aggregate value of the underlying loans.

The limit on the additional collateral that Cheltenham Funding may be required to post pursuant to the agreements between Cheltenham Funding and Citibank that collectively establish the TRS, which agreements are collectively referred to herein as the TRS Agreement, is equal to the difference between the full notional amount of the loans underlying the TRS and the amount of cash collateral already posted by Cheltenham Funding (determined without consideration of the initial cash collateral posted for each loan included in the TRS). Cheltenham Funding’s maximum liability under the TRS is the amount of any decline in the aggregate value of the loans subject to the TRS, less the amount of the cash collateral previously posted by Cheltenham Funding. Therefore, the absolute risk of loss with respect to the TRS is the notional amount of the TRS.

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Included among the customary events of default and termination events in the TRS Agreement are: (a) a failure to satisfy the portfolio criteria or obligation criteria for at least 30 days; (b) a failure to post initial cash collateral or additional collateral as required by the TRS Agreement; (c) a default by Cheltenham Funding or us with respect to indebtedness in an amount equal to or greater than $0.1 million or $10.0 million, respectively; (d) Cheltenham Funding ceasing to be our wholly-owned subsidiary; (e) either us or Cheltenham Funding amending constituent documents to alter our investment strategy in a manner that has or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect; (f) our ceasing to be the investment manager of Cheltenham Funding or having authority to enter into transactions under the TRS on behalf of Cheltenham Funding, and not being replaced by an entity reasonably acceptable to Citibank; (g) FSIC IV Advisor (or an entity reasonably acceptable to Citibank) ceasing to be our investment adviser or GDFM (or an affiliate) ceasing to be the investment sub-adviser to FSIC IV Advisor; (h) Cheltenham Funding failing to comply with its investment strategies or restrictions to the extent such non-compliance has or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect; (i) Cheltenham Funding becoming liable in respect of any obligation for borrowed money, other than arising under the TRS Agreement; (j) we dissolve or liquidate; (k) there occurs, without the prior consent of Citibank, any material change to or departure from our policies or the policies of Cheltenham Funding that may not be changed without the vote of our stockholders and that relates to Cheltenham Funding’s performance of its obligations under the TRS Agreement; and (l) we violate certain provisions of the 1940 Act or our election to be regulated as a BDC is revoked or withdrawn.

In addition to the rights of Citibank to terminate the TRS following an event of default or termination event as described above, Citibank may terminate the TRS on or after July 19, 2017. Cheltenham Funding may terminate the TRS at any time upon providing no more than 30 days, and no less than 10 days, prior notice to Citibank. Cheltenham Funding will be required to pay an early termination fee to Citibank if it elects to terminate the TRS prior to July 19, 2017. Under the terms of the TRS, the early termination fee will equal the present value of a stream of monthly payments which would be owed by Cheltenham Funding to Citibank for the period from the termination date through and including July 19, 2017. Such monthly payments will equal the product of (x) 85%, multiplied by (y) the maximum notional amount of the TRS, multiplied by (z) 1.60% or 1.50% per annum, as applicable. Other than during the first 90 days and last 30 days of the term of the TRS, Cheltenham Funding is required to pay a minimum usage fee if less than 85% of the maximum notional amount of the TRS is utilized and an unused fee on any amounts unutilized if greater than 85% but less than 100% of the maximum notional amount of the TRS is utilized.

Upon any termination of the TRS, Cheltenham Funding will be required to pay Citibank the amount of any decline in the aggregate value of the loans subject to the TRS or, alternatively, will be entitled to receive the amount of any appreciation in the aggregate value of such loans. In the event that Citibank chooses to exercise its termination rights, it is possible that Cheltenham Funding will owe more to Citibank or, alternatively, will be entitled to receive less from Citibank than it would have if Cheltenham Funding controlled the timing of such termination due to the existence of adverse market conditions at the time of such termination. In addition, because a TRS is a form of synthetic leverage, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage. See “—Risks Related to Debt Financing” below.

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions which expose us to certain risks, including credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions that seek to modify or replace the investment performance of a particular reference security or other

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asset. These transactions are typically individually negotiated, non-standardized agreements between two parties to exchange payments, with payments generally calculated by reference to a notional amount or quantity. Swap contracts and similar derivative contracts are not traded on exchanges; rather, banks and dealers act as principals in these markets. These investments may present risks in excess of those resulting from the referenced security or other asset. Because these transactions are not an acquisition of the referenced security or other asset itself, the investor has no right directly to enforce compliance with the terms of the referenced security or other asset and has no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the referenced security or other asset. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the referenced security or other asset.

A credit default swap is a contract in which one party buys or sells protection against a credit event with respect to an issuer, such as an issuer’s failure to make timely payments of interest or principal on its debt obligations, bankruptcy or restructuring during a specified period. Generally, if we sell credit protection using a credit default swap, we will receive fixed payments from the swap counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will pay the swap counterparty par for the issuer’s defaulted debt securities and the swap counterparty will deliver the defaulted debt securities to us. Generally, if we buy credit protection using a credit default swap, we will make fixed payments to the counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will deliver the issuer’s defaulted securities underlying the swap to the swap counterparty and the counterparty will pay us par for the defaulted securities. Alternatively, a credit default swap may be cash settled and the buyer of protection would receive the difference between the par value and the market value of the issuer’s defaulted debt securities from the seller of protection.

Credit default swaps are subject to the credit risk of the underlying issuer. If we are selling credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, a credit event will occur and we will have to pay the counterparty. If we are buying credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, no credit event will occur and we will receive no benefit for the premium paid.

A derivative transaction is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In some cases, we may post collateral to secure our obligations to the counterparty, and we may be required to post additional collateral upon the occurrence of certain events such as a decrease in the value of the reference security or other asset. In some cases, the counterparty may not collateralize any of its obligations to us. Derivative investments effectively add leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. In addition to the risks described above, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage. See “—Risks Related to Debt Financing.”

Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio

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companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments, net of prepayment fees, could negatively impact our return on equity.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

Our board of directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.

Our board of directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. Moreover, we have significant investment flexibility within our investment strategy. Therefore, we may invest our assets in ways with which stockholders may not agree. We also cannot predict the effect any changes to our investment policy, current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies would have on our business, net asset value, operating results and the value of our stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay stockholders distributions and cause them to lose all or part of their investment. Moreover, we will have significant flexibility in investing the net proceeds of our continuous public offering and may use the net proceeds from such offering in ways with which stockholders may not agree or for purposes other than those contemplated in this or any other prospectus relating to our continuous public offering. Finally, because our shares are not expected to be listed on a national securities exchange for the foreseeable future, stockholders will be limited in their ability to sell their shares in response to any changes in our investment policy, operating policies, investment criteria or strategies.

Future disruptions or instability in capital markets could negatively impact the valuation of our investments and our ability to raise capital.

From time to time, the global capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which could be prolonged and which could materially and adversely impact the broader financial and credit markets, have a negative impact on the valuations of our investments and reduce the availability to us of debt and equity capital. For example, between 2008 and 2009, instability in the global capital markets resulted in disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major domestic and international financial institutions. In particular, the financial services sector was negatively impacted by significant write-offs as the value of the assets held by financial firms declined, impairing their capital positions and abilities to lend and invest. More recently, the macroeconomic environment, including recent social and political tensions in the U.S. and around the world (e.g., the United Kingdom referendum to leave the European Union), concerns regarding the Chinese economy and declines in commodity prices, has led to, and may continue to lead to, volatility in the broadly syndicated credit market as investors re-price credit risk.

While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period, which could result in significant reductions to our net asset value for the period. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities if our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing. Equity capital may also be difficult to raise during periods of adverse or volatile market conditions because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. If we are unable to raise capital

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or refinance existing debt on acceptable terms, then we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies. Significant changes in the capital markets may also affect the pace of our investment activity and the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. Thus, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes.

Uncertainty with respect to the financial stability of the United States and several countries in the European Union (EU) could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In August 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. from “AAA” to “AA+,” which was last affirmed by S&P in November 2016. Moody’s and Fitch Ratings, Inc. have also warned that they may downgrade the U.S. federal government’s credit rating. In addition, the economic downturn and the significant government interventions into the financial markets and fiscal stimulus spending over the last several years have contributed to significantly increased U.S. budget deficits. The U.S. government has on several occasions adopted legislation to suspend the federal debt ceiling to allow the U.S. Treasury Department to issue additional debt. Further downgrades or warnings by S&P or other rating agencies, and the U.S. government’s credit and deficit concerns in general, including issues around the federal debt ceiling, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. Furthermore, in February 2014, the Federal Reserve began scaling back its bond-buying program, or quantitative easing, which it ended in October 2014. Quantitative easing was designed to stimulate the economy and expand the Federal Reserve’s holdings of long-term securities until key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate, showed signs of improvement. The Federal Reserve also raised interest rates during the fourth quarter of 2015, the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. It is unclear what effect, if any, the end of quantitative easing, future interest rate raises, if any, and the pace of any such raises will have on the value of our investments or our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms.

In 2010, a financial crisis emerged in Europe, triggered by high budget deficits and rising direct and contingent sovereign debt in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which created concerns about the ability of these nations to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. In January 2012, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating for France, Italy, Spain and six other European countries, which has negatively impacted global markets and economic conditions. In addition, in April 2012, S&P further lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating for Spain. While the financial stability of such countries has improved, risks resulting from any future debt crisis in Europe or any similar crisis could have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, sovereign and non-sovereign debt in these countries and the financial condition of U.S. and European financial institutions. Furthermore, following the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating. In addition the terms of the United Kingdom’s exit and any future referendums in other European countries may disrupt the global market. Market disruptions in Europe, including the increased cost of funding for certain governments and financial institutions, could negatively impact the global economy, and there can be no assurance that assistance packages will be available, or if available, will be sufficient to stabilize countries and markets in Europe. To the extent uncertainty regarding any economic recovery in Europe negatively impacts consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, or other credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected.

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Future economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our debt investments during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease, during these periods. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of any collateral securing our debt investments. A prolonged recession may further decrease the value of such collateral and result in losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income and net asset value. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on terms we deem acceptable. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results. Economic downturns or recessions may also result in a portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders, which could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices could negatively impact the energy and power industry and energy-related investments within our investment portfolio.

Prices for oil and natural gas, which historically have been volatile and may continue to be volatile, may be subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas. A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect the credit quality and performance of certain of our debt and equity investments in energy and power and related companies. A decrease in credit quality and performance would, in turn, negatively affect the fair value of these investments, which would consequently negatively affect our net asset value. Should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, the ability of certain of our portfolio companies in the energy and power and related industries to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders may be adversely affected, which could, in turn, negatively impact their financial condition and their ability to satisfy their debt service and other obligations. Likewise, should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, it is possible that the cash flow and profit generating capacity of these portfolio companies could also be adversely affected thereby negatively impacting their ability to pay us dividends or distributions on our investments.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on FSIC IV Advisor’s and GDFM’s ability to manage and support our investment process and if either our agreement with FSIC IV Advisor or FSIC IV Advisor’s agreement with GDFM were to be terminated, or if either FSIC IV Advisor or GDFM lose any members of their respective senior management teams, our ability to achieve our investment objectives could be significantly harmed.

Because we have no employees, we depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM. FSIC IV Advisor, with the assistance of GDFM, evaluates, negotiates, structures, executes, monitors and services our investments. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM, as well as their respective senior management teams. The departure of any members of FSIC IV Advisor’s senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives. Likewise, the departure of any key employees of GDFM or termination of key industry relationships may impact its ability to render services to us under the terms of its investment sub-advisory agreement with FSIC IV Advisor.

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Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on FSIC IV Advisor’s ability, with the assistance of GDFM, to identify, analyze, invest in, finance and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. FSIC IV Advisor’s capabilities in structuring the investment process, providing competent, attentive and efficient services to us, and facilitating access to financing on acceptable terms depend on the employment of investment professionals in an adequate number and of adequate sophistication to match the corresponding flow of transactions. To achieve our investment objectives, FSIC IV Advisor may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new investment professionals to participate in our investment selection and monitoring process. FSIC IV Advisor may not be able to find investment professionals in a timely manner or at all. Failure to support our investment process could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the investment advisory and administrative services agreement that FSIC IV Advisor has entered into with us, as well as the investment sub-advisory agreement that FSIC IV Advisor has entered into with GDFM, have termination provisions that allow the parties to terminate the agreements without penalty. The investment advisory and administrative services agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by FSIC IV Advisor, upon 120 days’ notice to us. The investment sub-advisory agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice by GDFM or, if our board of directors or the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities determine that the investment sub-advisory agreement with GDFM should be terminated, by FSIC IV Advisor. If either agreement is terminated, it may adversely affect the quality of our investment opportunities. In addition, in the event such agreements are terminated, it may be difficult for us to replace FSIC IV Advisor or for FSIC IV Advisor to replace GDFM. Furthermore, the termination of either of these agreements may adversely impact the terms of any financing arrangement into which we may enter, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Because our business model depends to a significant extent upon relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks, the inability of FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM to maintain or develop these relationships, or the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

If FSIC IV Advisor or GDFM fails to maintain its existing relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks on which they rely to provide us with potential investment opportunities or develop new relationships with other sponsors or sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM have relationships generally are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us. GDFM may compensate certain brokers or other financial services firms out of its own profits or revenues for services provided in connection with the identification of appropriate investment opportunities.

We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities, which could delay deployment of our capital, reduce returns and result in losses.

We compete for investments with other BDCs and investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds and CLO funds), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of funding. Moreover, alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, have begun to invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in middle market private U.S. companies. Furthermore, the potentially changing regulatory landscape as a result of the new U.S. presidential administration may increase the number of middle market investors. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities in middle market private U.S. companies may intensify.

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Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to do. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we are forced to match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. A significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in middle market private U.S. companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financial sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms. Furthermore, many of our competitors have greater experience operating under, or are not subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.

Declines in market values or fair market values of our investments could result in significant net unrealized depreciation of our portfolio, which, in turn, would reduce our net asset value.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period as unrealized depreciation, which could result in significant reductions to our net asset value for a given period.

A significant portion of our investment portfolio is and will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there is and will be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value, as determined by our board of directors. There is not a public market for the securities of the privately held companies in which we invest. Most of our investments are not publicly traded or actively traded on a secondary market but are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated over-the-counter secondary market for institutional investors or not traded at all. As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors.

Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include dealer quotes for securities traded on the secondary market for institutional investors, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s earnings and its ability to make payments on its indebtedness, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to comparable publicly traded companies, discounted cash flows and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these non-traded securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize upon the sale of one or more of our investments.

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There is a risk that investors in our common stock may not receive distributions.

We cannot assure stockholders that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our net investment income, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. Further, if we offer additional classes of our common stock, with each class having a different upfront sales load and fee and expense structure, the per share amount of distributions on shares of such classes will differ because of different allocations of class-specific expenses. In addition, the distribution fee for shares of such classes will be different. Furthermore, we are permitted to issue senior securities, including multiple classes of debt and one class of stock senior to our shares of Class T common stock. If any such senior securities are outstanding, we are prohibited from paying distributions to our Class T stockholders unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of distribution or repurchase. As a result, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. See “Regulation—Senior Securities.”

Our distribution proceeds may exceed our earnings, particularly during the period before we have substantially invested the net proceeds from our continuous public offering. Therefore, portions of the distributions that we make may represent a return of capital to stockholders, which will lower their tax basis in their shares of common stock.

The tax treatment and characterization of our distributions may vary significantly from time to time due to the nature of our investments. The ultimate tax characterization of our distributions made during a tax year may not finally be determined until after the end of that tax year. We may make distributions during a tax year that exceed our investment company taxable income and net capital gains for that tax year. In such a situation, the amount by which our total distributions exceed investment company taxable income and net capital gains generally would be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a stockholder’s tax basis in the shares, with any amounts exceeding such tax basis treated as a gain from the sale or exchange of such shares. A return of capital generally is a return of a stockholder’s investment rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities and will be made after deducting the fees and expenses payable in connection with the offering, including any fees payable to FSIC IV Advisor. Moreover, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of our continuous public offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which could constitute a return of stockholders’ capital and will lower such stockholders’ tax basis in their shares, which may result in increased tax liability to stockholders when they sell such shares.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations or the operations of our business partners may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

We, our portfolio companies and our business partners are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. New legislation may be enacted or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make and the deductibility of interest expense by our portfolio companies, potentially with retroactive effect. Changes in laws or regulations governing the operations of those with whom we do business, including selected broker-dealers and other financial representatives selling our shares, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, over the last several years there has been an increase in regulatory attention to the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, raising the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new regulation. New or repealed legislation, interpretations, rulings or regulations could require changes to certain business practices of us or our portfolio companies, negatively impact the

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operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies. In addition, any changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations, including with respect to permitted investments, may cause us to alter our investment strategy to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities or make other changes to our business. Such changes could result in material differences to our strategies and plans as set forth in this prospectus and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM to other types of investments in which FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of a stockholder’s investment.

As a public company, we are subject to regulations not applicable to private companies, such as provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Efforts to comply with such regulations will involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with such regulations may adversely affect us.

As a public company, we incur legal, accounting and other expenses, including costs associated with the periodic reporting requirements applicable to a company whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, as well as additional corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules implemented by the SEC. Our management will be required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. In particular, our management will be required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting. Although not required, we also elect to obtain an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

We will incur significant expenses in connection with our compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations applicable to public companies, which may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. Compliance with such regulations also requires a significant amount of our management’s time and attention. For example, we cannot be certain as to the timing of the completion of our Sarbanes-Oxley mandated evaluations, testings and remediation actions, if any, or the impact of the same on our operations, and we may not be able to ensure that the process is effective or that our internal control over financial reporting is or will be deemed effective in the future. In the event that we are unable to develop or maintain an effective system of internal control and maintain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we may be adversely affected.

The impact on us of recent financial reform legislation, including the Dodd-Frank Act, is uncertain.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as amended, or the Dodd-Frank Act, institutes a wide range of reforms that will have an impact on financial institutions. Many of the requirements called for in the Dodd-Frank Act are expected to be implemented over time, most of which will likely be subject to implementing regulations over the course of several years. However, the new U.S. presidential administration has announced its intention to repeal, amend or replace certain portions of the Dodd-Frank Act and the regulations implemented thereunder. Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which and whether the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented, repealed, amended or replaced, the full impact such requirements will have on our business, results of operations or financial condition is unclear. The changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act or any changes to the regulations already implemented thereunder may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes in order to comply with new statutory and

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regulatory requirements. Failure to comply with any such laws, regulations or principles, or changes thereto, may negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. While we cannot predict what effect any changes in the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on us as a result of recent financial reform legislation, these changes could be materially adverse to us and our stockholders.

We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any previous period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital to grow because we must distribute most of our income.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital. We have issued equity securities and have borrowed from financial institutions. A reduction in the availability of new capital could limit our ability to grow. We must distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income each year to qualify for and maintain our RIC status. As a result, any such cash earnings may not be available to fund investment originations. We expect to continue to borrow from financial institutions and issue additional debt and equity securities. If we fail to obtain funds from such sources or from other sources to fund our investments, it could limit our ability to grow, which may have an adverse effect on the value of our securities. In addition, as a BDC, our ability to borrow or issue preferred stock may be restricted if our total assets are less than 200% of our total borrowings and preferred stock.

If we, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers are unable to maintain the availability of electronic data systems and safeguard the security of data, our ability to conduct business may be compromised, which could impair our liquidity, disrupt our business, damage our reputation or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes, and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack, or damage. We, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers are subject to cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years and, while we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches, we could suffer such losses in the future. Our, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers’ computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including non-public personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks.

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Risks Related to FSIC IV Advisor and Its Affiliates

FSIC IV Advisor has limited prior experience managing a BDC or a RIC.

While FSIC IV Advisor’s management team consists of substantially the same personnel that form the investment and operations teams of the investment advisers to FS Investments’ four other affiliated BDCs, FSIC IV Advisor has limited prior experience managing a BDC or a RIC. Therefore, FSIC IV Advisor may not be able to successfully operate our business or achieve our investment objectives. As a result, an investment in our shares of common stock may entail more risk than the shares of common stock of a comparable company with a substantial operating history.

The 1940 Act and the Code impose numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs and RICs that do not apply to other types of investment vehicles. For example, under the 1940 Act, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of qualifying U.S. private or thinly traded public companies. Moreover, qualification for RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code requires satisfaction of source-of-income, diversification and other requirements. The failure to comply with these provisions in a timely manner could prevent us from qualifying as a BDC or a RIC or could force us to pay unexpected taxes and penalties, which could be material. FSIC IV Advisor’s limited experience in managing a portfolio of assets under such constraints may hinder its ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, achieve our investment objectives.

FSIC IV Advisor, GDFM and their respective affiliates, including our officers and some of our directors, face conflicts of interest as a result of compensation arrangements between us and FSIC IV Advisor, and FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM, which could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.

FSIC IV Advisor, GDFM and their respective affiliates receive substantial fees from us in return for their services, and these fees could influence the advice provided to us. We pay to FSIC IV Advisor an incentive fee that is based on the performance of our portfolio and an annual base management fee that is based on the average weekly value of our gross assets, and FSIC IV Advisor shares a portion of these fees with GDFM pursuant to the investment sub-advisory agreement between FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM. Because the incentive fee is based on the performance of our portfolio, FSIC IV Advisor may be incentivized to make investments on our behalf, and GDFM may be incentivized to recommend investments for us to FSIC IV Advisor, that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee is determined may also encourage FSIC IV Advisor to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. In addition, because the base management fee is based upon the average weekly value of our gross assets, which includes any borrowings for investment purposes, FSIC IV Advisor may be incentivized to recommend the use of leverage or the issuance of additional equity to make additional investments and increase the average weekly value of our gross assets. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which could disfavor holders of our common stock. Our compensation arrangements could therefore result in our making riskier or more speculative investments, or relying more on leverage to make investments, than would otherwise be the case. This could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns. In addition, FSIC IV Advisor may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event if the distribution fee paid by our dealer manager has not been fully recovered. See “—Risks Related to Our Continuous Public Offering and an Investment in Our Common Stock—FSIC IV Advisor may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event, which may result in actions that are not in the best interest of our stockholders.”

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We may be obligated to pay FSIC IV Advisor incentive compensation even if we incur a net loss due to a decline in the value of our portfolio, or on income that we have not received.

Our investment advisory and administrative services agreement entitles FSIC IV Advisor to receive incentive compensation on income regardless of any capital losses. In such case, we may be required to pay FSIC IV Advisor incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or if we incur a net loss for that quarter.

In addition, any incentive fee payable by us that relates to our net investment income may be computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously included in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. FSIC IV Advisor is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never received as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted in the accrual of such income, and such circumstances would result in our paying an incentive fee on income we never received.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are required to recognize taxable income (such as deferred interest that is accrued as original issue discount) in some circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and to make distributions with respect to such income to maintain our status as a RIC. Under such circumstances, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. This difficulty in making the required distribution may be amplified to the extent that we are required to pay an incentive fee with respect to such accrued income. As a result, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital, or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

There may be conflicts of interest related to obligations FSIC IV Advisor’s and GDFM’s senior management and investment teams have to our affiliates and to other clients.

The members of the senior management and investment teams of both FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment vehicles managed by the same personnel. For example, the officers, managers and other personnel of FSIC IV Advisor also serve in similar capacities for the investment advisers to the other funds in the Fund Complex, and may serve in similar or other capacities for the investment advisers to future investment vehicles affiliated with FS Investments. In serving in these multiple and other capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in our best interests or in the best interest of our stockholders. Our investment objectives may overlap with the investment objectives of such investment vehicles, accounts or other investment vehicles. For example, we rely on FSIC IV Advisor to manage our day-to-day activities and to implement our investment strategy. FSIC IV Advisor and certain of its affiliates are presently, and plan in the future to continue to be, involved with activities which are unrelated to us. As a result of these activities, FSIC IV Advisor, its employees and certain of its affiliates will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other activities in which they are or may become involved, including the management of other entities affiliated with FS Investments. FSIC IV Advisor and its employees will devote only as much of its or their time to our business as FSIC IV Advisor and its employees, in their judgment, determine is reasonably required, which may be substantially less than their full time.

Furthermore, GDFM, on which FSIC IV Advisor relies to assist it in identifying investment opportunities and making investment recommendations, has similar conflicts of interest. GDFM or its parent, GSO, serves as investment sub-adviser to FS Investments’ four other affiliated BDCs

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and FS Investments’ affiliated closed-end management investment company. GDFM, its affiliates and their respective members, partners, officers and employees will devote as much of their time to our activities as they deem necessary and appropriate. GDFM and its affiliates are not restricted from forming additional investment vehicles, from entering into other investment advisory relationships or from engaging in other business activities, even though such activities may be in competition with us and/or may involve substantial time and resources of GDFM. Also, in connection with such business activities, GDFM and its affiliates may have existing business relationships or access to material, non-public information that may prevent it from recommending investment opportunities that would otherwise fit within our investment objectives. All of these factors could be viewed as creating a conflict of interest in that the time, effort and ability of the members of GDFM, its affiliates and their officers and employees will not be devoted exclusively to our business but will be allocated between us and the management of the monies of other advisees of GDFM and its affiliates. See “Prospectus Summary—Conflicts of Interest” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Related Party Transactions—Potential Conflicts of Interest” for a more detailed discussion of these potential conflicts of interest.

The time and resources that individuals employed by FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM devote to us may be diverted, and we may face additional competition due to the fact that individuals employed by FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM are not prohibited from raising money for or managing another entity that makes the same types of investments that we target.

Neither FSIC IV Advisor nor GDFM, or individuals employed by FSIC IV Advisor or GDFM, are prohibited from raising money for and managing another investment entity that makes the same types of investments as those we target. As a result, the time and resources that these individuals may devote to us may be diverted. In addition, we may compete with any such investment entity for the same investors and investment opportunities. In an order dated June 4, 2013, the SEC granted exemptive relief to our affiliates, upon which we may rely, and which permits us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions with our co-investment affiliates. Because our affiliates did not seek exemptive relief to engage in co-investment transactions with GDFM and its affiliates, we are permitted to co-invest with GDFM and its affiliates only in accordance with existing regulatory guidance (e.g., where price is the only negotiated term). Affiliates of GDFM, whose primary businesses include the origination of investments, engage in investment advisory business with accounts that compete with us. Affiliates of GDFM have no obligation to make their originated investment opportunities available to GDFM or to us.

FSIC IV Advisor’s liability is limited under our investment advisory and administrative services agreement, and we are required to indemnify it against certain liabilities, which may lead it to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

Pursuant to our investment advisory and administrative services agreement, FSIC IV Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with FSIC IV Advisor will not be liable to us for their acts under our investment advisory and administrative services agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect FSIC IV Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with FSIC IV Advisor with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of FSIC IV Advisor not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties under our investment advisory and administrative services agreement. These protections may lead FSIC IV Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

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Risks Related to Business Development Companies

The requirement that we invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets could preclude us from investing in accordance with our current business strategy; conversely, the failure to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets could result in our failure to maintain our status as a BDC.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. Therefore, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making additional investments in existing portfolio companies, which could result in the dilution of our position, or could require us to dispose of investments at an inopportune time to comply with the 1940 Act. If we were forced to sell non-qualifying investments in the portfolio for compliance purposes, the proceeds from such sale could be significantly less than the current value of such investments. Conversely, if we fail to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could lose our status as a BDC, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility.

Failure to maintain our status as a BDC would reduce our operating flexibility.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC and a RIC will affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth.

As a result of our need to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement in order to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code, we may need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash to fund new investments. We may issue “senior securities,” as defined in the 1940 Act, including issuing preferred stock, borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions, or issuing debt securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such incurrence or issuance. Our ability to issue certain other types of securities is also limited. Under the 1940 Act, we are also generally prohibited from issuing or selling our common stock at a price per share of a class, after deducting upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees, if any, that is below the net asset value per share of such class, without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. Compliance with these limitations on our ability to raise capital may unfavorably limit our investment opportunities. These limitations may also reduce our ability in comparison to other companies to profit from favorable spreads between the rates at which we can borrow and the rates at which we can lend.

In addition, because we incur indebtedness for investment purposes, if the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy the asset coverage test under the 1940 Act, which would prohibit us from paying distributions and, as a result, could cause us to be subject to corporate-level tax on our income and capital gains, regardless of the amount of distributions paid. If we cannot satisfy the asset coverage test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our debt financing, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. Under the 1940 Act, we generally are prohibited from issuing or selling shares of our common stock at a price per share, after deducting upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees, if any, that is below the net asset value per share of a class, which may be a disadvantage as compared with other public companies. We may, however, sell shares of our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common

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stock, at a price below the then-current net asset value of the applicable class of the common stock if our board of directors and independent directors determine that such sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders as well as those stockholders that are not affiliated with us approve such sale.

Future legislation may allow us to incur additional leverage.

As a BDC, we are generally not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). Legislation was previously introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that proposed a modification of this section of the 1940 Act to permit an increase in the amount of debt that BDCs could incur by modifying the percentage from 200% to 150%. Similar legislation may be reintroduced and may pass that permits us to incur additional leverage under the 1940 Act. As a result, we may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future, and, therefore, the risk of an investment in us may increase.

Future legislation or rules could modify how we treat derivatives and other financial arrangements for purposes of our compliance with the leverage limitations of the 1940 Act.

Future legislation or rules may modify how we treat derivatives and other financial arrangements for purposes of our compliance with the leverage limitations of the 1940 Act. For example, the SEC proposed a new rule in December 2015 that is designed to enhance the regulation of the use of derivatives by registered investment companies and business development companies. While the adoption of the December 2015 rule is currently uncertain, the proposed rule, if adopted, or any future legislation or rules, may modify how leverage is calculated under the 1940 Act and, therefore, may increase or decrease the amount of leverage currently available to us under the 1940 Act, which may be materially adverse to us and our stockholders.

Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of a majority of the independent members of our board of directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we will generally be prohibited from buying or selling any securities from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our board of directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our board of directors and, in some cases, the SEC. In an order dated June 4, 2013, the SEC granted exemptive relief to our affiliates, upon which we may rely, and which permits us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions with our co-investment affiliates. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons to the extent not covered by the exemptive relief, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their respective affiliates. As a result of these restrictions, we may be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any portfolio company of a fund managed by FSIC IV Advisor without the prior approval of the SEC, which may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.

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We are uncertain of our sources for funding our future capital needs and if we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms or at all, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected.

Any working capital reserves we maintain may not be sufficient for investment purposes, and we may require debt or equity financing to operate. We may also need to access the capital markets to refinance existing debt obligations to the extent maturing obligations are not repaid with cash flows from operations. In order to maintain RIC tax treatment we must distribute to our stockholders each tax year on a timely basis generally of an amount at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, and the amounts of such distributions will therefore not be available to fund investment originations or to repay maturing debt. In addition, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities or preferred stock, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” such that our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing, which, in certain circumstances, may restrict our ability to borrow or issue debt securities or preferred stock. In the event that we develop a need for additional capital in the future for investments or for any other reason, and we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, or at all, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected. As a result, we would be less able to allocate our portfolio among various issuers and industries and achieve our investment objectives, which may negatively impact our results of operations and reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Debt Financing

We currently use borrowed funds to make investments and are exposed to the typical risks associated with leverage.

Borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in our securities. Our and our special purpose financing subsidiary’s lender and debt holders have fixed dollar claims on our and their assets that are superior to the claims of our stockholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leverage would cause the net asset value to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leverage would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of consolidated interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

In addition, the decision to utilize leverage will increase our assets and, as a result, will increase the amount of management fees payable to FSIC IV Advisor. See “Risks Related to FSIC IV Advisor and Its Affiliates—FSIC IV Advisor, GDFM and their respective affiliates, including our officers and some of our directors, face conflicts of interest as a result of compensation arrangements between us and FSIC IV Advisor, and FSIC IV Advisor and GDFM, which could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.”

We currently incur indebtedness to make investments, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in our common stock and may increase the risk of investing in our common stock.

The use of borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increases the risks associated with

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investing in our common stock. When we use leverage to partially finance our investments, through borrowing from banks and other lenders or issuing debt securities we, and therefore our stockholders, will experience increased risks of investing in our common stock. Any lenders and debt holders would have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are senior to the claims of our stockholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leverage would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leverage would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not utilized leverage. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on our indebtedness would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to stockholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique. In addition, the decision to utilize leverage will increase our assets and, as a result, will increase the amount of management fees payable to FSIC IV Advisor.

Illustration . The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below. The calculation assumes (i) $451.4 million in total average assets, (ii) a weighted average cost of funds of 2.45%, (iii) $50.0 million in debt outstanding (i.e., assumes that the full $50.0 million available to us under our financing arrangements as of such date is outstanding) and (iv) $640.7 million in stockholders’ equity. In order to compute the “Corresponding return to stockholders,” the “Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (net of expenses)” is multiplied by the assumed total assets to obtain an assumed return to us. From this amount, the interest expense is calculated by multiplying the assumed weighted average cost of funds times the assumed debt outstanding, and the product is subtracted from the assumed return to us in order to determine the return available to stockholders. The return available to stockholders is then divided by our stockholders’ equity to determine the “Corresponding return to stockholders.” Actual interest payments may be different.

Similarly, assuming (i) $451.4 million in total average assets, (ii) a weighted average cost of funds of 2.45% and (iii) $50.0 million in debt outstanding (i.e., assumes that the full $50.0 million available to us under our financing arrangements as of such date is outstanding), our assets would need to yield an annual return (net of expenses) of our assets would need to yield an annual return (net of expenses) of approximately 0.27% in order to cover the annual interest payments on our outstanding debt.

The agreements governing our debt financing arrangement contain, and agreements governing future debt financing arrangements may contain, various covenants which, if not complied with, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our investment obligations and to pay distributions to our stockholders.

The agreements governing our and our special purpose financing subsidiary’s financing arrangements contain, and agreements governing future financing arrangements may contain, certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants require us and our subsidiary to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including asset coverage and minimum stockholders’ equity. Compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our and their control. In the event of deterioration in the capital markets and pricing

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levels subsequent to this period, net unrealized depreciation in our and our subsidiaries’ portfolios may increase in the future and could result in non-compliance with certain covenants, or our taking actions which could disrupt our business and impact our ability to meet our investment objectives.

There can be no assurance that we and our subsidiaries will continue to comply with the covenants under our current financing arrangements and future financing arrangements. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default which, if we and our subsidiaries were unable to obtain a waiver from the debt holders, could accelerate repayment under any or all of our and their debt instruments and thereby force us to liquidate investments at a disadvantageous time and/or at a price which could result in losses, or allow our lenders to sell assets pledged as collateral under our financing arrangements in order to satisfy amounts due thereunder. These occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources — Total Return Swap” for a more detailed discussion of the terms of our debt financing arrangement.

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income.

Because we intend to use debt to finance investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates when we have debt outstanding, our cost of funds will increase, which could reduce our net investment income. We expect that our long-term fixed-rate investments will be financed primarily with equity and long-term debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. These techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. These activities may limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to the hedged portion of our portfolio. Adverse developments resulting from changes in interest rates or hedging transactions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we have limited experience in entering into hedging transactions, and we will initially have to develop such expertise or arrange for such expertise to be provided.

A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to FSIC IV Advisor with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income. See “Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement.”

Risks Related to U.S. Federal Income Tax

We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code or to satisfy the RIC annual distribution requirements.

Besides maintaining our election to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, in order for us to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, we must meet the following annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a RIC.”

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In any taxable year in which we qualify as a RIC, in order for us to be able to be subject to tax as a RIC, we are required to meet an Annual Distribution Requirement. The Annual Distribution Requirement for RIC tax treatment will be satisfied if we distribute to our stockholders, for each tax year, dividends of an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of our investment company taxable income, which is generally the sum of our ordinary net income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, without regard to any deduction for dividends paid. Because we may use debt financing, we are subject to an asset coverage ratio requirement under the 1940 Act and may in the future become subject to certain financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we could fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

We must satisfy these tests on an ongoing basis in order to maintain RIC tax treatment, and may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to invest cash in our existing or other investments, or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the RIC tax requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of our stockholders’ investments. Also, the rules applicable to our qualification as a RIC are complex, with many areas of uncertainty. If we fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure may have a material adverse effect on us and on any investment in us. The Code provides certain form relief from RIC disqualification due to failures of the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests, although there may be additional taxes due in such cases. We cannot assure you that we would qualify for any such relief should we fail either the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests.

Some of our investments may be subject to corporate-level income tax.

We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We may invest in certain foreign debt and equity investments which could be subject to foreign taxes (such as income tax, withholding and value added taxes).

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, our investments may include debt instruments that are treated under applicable tax rules as having

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original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt instruments that were issued with warrants). To the extent original issue discount or PIK interest constitutes a portion of our income, we must include in taxable income each tax year a portion of the original issue discount or PIK income that accrues over the life of the instrument, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same tax year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Further, we may elect to amortize market discount and include such amounts in our taxable income in the current tax year, instead of upon disposition, as not making the election would limit our ability to deduct interest expenses for tax purposes.

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the tax year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code. We may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of a RIC, see “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a RIC.”

Furthermore, we may invest in the equity securities of non-U.S. corporations (or other non-U.S. entities classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that could be treated under the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations as “passive foreign investment companies” and/or “controlled foreign corporations.” The rules relating to investment in these types of non-U.S. entities are designed to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are either, in effect, taxed currently (or on an accelerated basis with respect to corporate level events) or taxed at increased tax rates at distribution or disposition. In certain circumstances, these rules also could require us to recognize taxable income or gains where we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and, under recently proposed U.S. federal income tax regulations, all or a portion of such taxable income and gains may not be considered qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test.

Our portfolio investments may present special tax issues.

Investments in below-investment grade debt instruments and certain equity securities may present special tax issues for us. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when we may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless debt in equity securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and interest income, as well as whether exchanges of debt instruments in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. Such matters could cause us to recognize taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, even in the absence of cash or economic gain, and require us to make taxable distributions to our stockholders to maintain our RIC status or preclude the imposition of either U.S. federal corporate income or excise taxation. Because such taxable income may not be matched by corresponding cash received by us, we may be required to borrow money or dispose of other investments to be able to make distributions to our stockholders.

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Furthermore, under recently proposed Treasury Regulations, certain income derived by us from an equity investment in an entity subject to U.S. federal income tax treatment as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, with respect to which we made a qualified electing fund, or QEF, election would generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 90% income test only to the extent the PFIC makes distributions of that income to us. As such, we may be restricted in our ability to make QEF elections with respect to our holdings in issuers that could be treated as PFICs in order to limit our tax liability or maximize our after-tax return from these investments.

These and other issues will be considered by us, to the extent determined necessary, in order that we minimize the level of any U.S. federal income or excise tax that we would otherwise incur. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a RIC.”

If we do not qualify as a “publicly offered regulated investment company,” as defined in the Code, you will be taxed as though you received a distribution of some of our expenses.

A “publicly offered regulated investment company” is a RIC whose shares are either (i) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (ii) regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the tax year. If we do not qualify as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any tax year, a noncorporate stockholder’s allocable portion of our affected expenses, including our management fees, will be treated as an additional distribution to the stockholder and will be deductible by such stockholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For noncorporate stockholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain expenses of a non-publicly offered regulated investment company, including management fees. In particular, these expenses, referred to as miscellaneous itemized deductions, are deductible to an individual only to the extent they exceed 2% of such a stockholder’s adjusted gross income, are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes and are subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions imposed by the Code. Although we believe that we are currently considered a publicly offered regulated investment company, as defined in the Code, there can be no assurance, however, that we will be considered a publicly offered regulated investment company in the future.

FATCA withholding may apply to payments made to certain foreign entities.

We are required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. The information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder and transaction activity within the holder’s account. Stockholders may be requested to provide additional information to us to enable us to determine whether such withholding is required.

Legislative or regulatory tax changes could adversely affect investors.

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing RICs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. Any of those new laws, regulations or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect the taxation of us or our stockholders. Therefore, changes in tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations or any amendments thereto could diminish the value of an investment in our shares or the value or the resale potential of our investments.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements because they relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus may include statements as to:

In addition, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect” and “intend” indicate a forward-looking statement, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those implied or expressed in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include:

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus on information available to us on the date of this prospectus. Except as required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we may file in the future

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with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The forward looking statements and projections contained in this prospectus or in periodic reports we file under the Exchange Act are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.

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ESTIMATED USE OF PROCEEDS

The following table sets forth our estimates of how we intend to use the gross proceeds from this offering. Information is provided assuming that we sell the maximum number of shares of Class T common stock. The amount of net proceeds may be more or less than the amount depicted in the table below depending on the public offering price of the shares of Class T common stock and the actual number of shares of Class T common stock we sell in the offering. The table below assumes that shares of Class T common stock are sold at the current offering price of $11.60 per share. Such amount is subject to increase or decrease based upon, among other things, our net asset value per share.

We intend to use substantially all of the proceeds from this offering, net of expenses, to make investments primarily in private U.S. companies in accordance with our investment objectives and using the strategies described in this prospectus. We anticipate that the remainder will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including the payment of operating expenses. However, we have not established limits on the use of proceeds from this offering. We will seek to invest the net proceeds received in this offering as promptly as practicable after receipt thereof. However, depending on market conditions and other factors, including the availability of investments that meet our investment objectives, we may be unable to invest such proceeds within the time period we anticipate. There can be no assurance we will be able to sell the maximum amount we are offering. If we sell only a portion of the shares of common stock we are offering, we may be unable to achieve our investment objectives or allocate our portfolio among various issuers and industries.

Pursuant to the expense reimbursement agreement, FS Investments has agreed to reimburse us for expenses in an amount that is sufficient to ensure that no portion of our distributions to stockholders will be paid from our offering proceeds or borrowings. Although FS Investments may terminate the expense reimbursement agreement at any time, it has indicated that it expects to continue such reimbursements until it deems that we have achieved economies of scale sufficient to ensure that we bear a reasonable level of expenses in relation to our income. In the event that the expense reimbursement agreement is terminated, we may pay distributions from offering proceeds or borrowings. In addition, we have not established limits on the use of proceeds from this offering or the amount of funds we may use from available sources to make distributions to stockholders. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview—Expense Reimbursement” for a detailed discussion of the expense reimbursement agreement, including amounts reimbursed to us by FS Investments thereunder and the repayment of such amounts to FS Investments.

Pending investment of the proceeds raised in this offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds primarily in cash, cash equivalents, including money market funds, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements and high-quality debt instruments maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, consistent with our BDC election and our intention to elect to be taxed as a RIC.

The amounts in the table assume that the full upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees of our Class T common stock are paid. All or a portion of the upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees may be reduced or eliminated in connection with certain categories of sales. See “Plan of Distribution.” Any reduction in these fees will be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the per share purchase price but will not affect the amounts available to us for investments. Because amounts in the following table are estimates, they may not accurately reflect the actual receipt or use of the offering proceeds.

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In addition, under the terms of the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, FSIC IV Advisor is entitled to receive up to 0.75% of the gross proceeds raised in this offering until all organization and offering costs funded by FSIC IV Advisor or its affiliates (including FS Investments) have been recovered. See “Fees and Expenses” for more information.

The following table presents information regarding the use of proceeds raised in this offering with respect to Class T shares.

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DISTRIBUTIONS

Subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of directors, we intend to declare regular cash distributions on a weekly basis and pay such distributions a monthly basis. We will calculate each stockholder’s specific distribution amount for the period using record and declaration dates and each stockholder’s distributions will begin to accrue on the date we accept such stockholder’s subscription for shares of our common stock. If we offer additional classes of our common stock, with each class having a different upfront sales load and fee and expense structure, the per share amount of distributions on shares of such classes will differ because of different allocations of class-specific expenses. In addition, the distribution fee for shares of such classes will be different. The following table sets forth the distribution fee for Class T shares.

From time to time, we may also pay special interim distributions in the form of cash or shares of our common stock at the discretion of our board of directors. For example, our board of directors may periodically declare stock distributions in order to reduce the net asset value per share of our Class T shares if necessary to ensure that we do not sell such shares at a price per share, after deducting upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees, if any, that is below the net asset value per share of such class.

We may fund our cash distributions to stockholders from any sources of funds legally available to us, including offering proceeds, borrowings, net investment income from operations, capital gains proceeds from the sale of assets, non-capital gains proceeds from the sale of assets, dividends or other distributions paid to us on account of preferred and common equity investments in portfolio companies and expense reimbursements from FS Investments. We have not established limits on the amount of funds we may use from available sources to make distributions.

For a period of time following commencement of this offering, which time period may be significant, substantial portions of our distributions have been, and may in the future, be funded through the reimbursement of certain expenses by FS Investments and its affiliates, including through the waiver of certain investment advisory fees by FSIC IV Advisor, that are subject to repayment by us within three years. The purpose of this arrangement is to ensure that no portion of our distributions to stockholders will be paid from offering proceeds or borrowings. Any such distributions funded through expense reimbursements or waivers of advisory fees were not based on our investment performance, and can only be sustained if we achieve positive investment performance in future periods and/or FS Investments and its affiliates continue to make such reimbursements or waivers of such fees. Our future repayment of amounts reimbursed or waived by FS Investments or its affiliates will reduce the distributions that you would otherwise receive in the future. There can be no assurance that we will achieve the performance necessary to sustain our distributions or that we will be able to pay distributions at a specific rate or at all. FS Investments and its affiliates, including FSIC IV Advisor, have no obligation to waive advisory fees or otherwise reimburse expenses in future periods. For the

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period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016, if FS Investments had not reimbursed certain of our expenses, 15% of the aggregate amount of distributions paid during such period would have been funded from offering proceeds or borrowings.

On a quarterly basis, we will send information to all stockholders of record regarding the sources of distributions paid to our stockholders in such quarter. During certain periods, our distributions may exceed our earnings, especially during the period before we have substantially invested the proceeds from our continuous public offering of common stock. As a result, it is possible that a portion of the distributions we make will represent a return of capital. A return of capital generally is a return of your investment rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities and will be made after deducting the fees and expenses payable in connection with our continuous public offering, including any fees payable to FSIC IV Advisor. Moreover, a return of capital will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each stockholder’s cost basis in our common stock, and will result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when the common stock on which such return of capital was received is sold. Each year a statement on Form 1099-DIV identifying the sources of our distributions (i.e., paid from ordinary income, paid from net capital gains on the sale of securities, and/or a return of capital) will be mailed to our stockholders subject to information reporting. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Pursuant to the expense reimbursement agreement, FS Investments has agreed to reimburse us for expenses in an amount that is sufficient to ensure that no portion of our distributions to stockholders will be paid from offering proceeds or borrowings. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview—Expense Reimbursement” for a detailed discussion of the expense reimbursement agreement, including amounts reimbursed to us by FS Investments thereunder and the repayment of such amounts to FS Investments.

From time to time and not less than on a quarterly basis, FSIC IV Advisor must review our accounts to determine whether cash distributions are appropriate. We intend to distribute pro rata to our stockholders funds received by us which FSIC IV Advisor deems unnecessary for us to retain.

We intend to continue to make our regular distributions in the form of cash, out of assets legally available for distribution, unless stockholders elect to receive their distributions in additional shares of our common stock under our distribution reinvestment plan. Although distributions paid in the form of additional shares of common stock will generally be subject to U.S. federal, state and local taxes in the same manner as cash distributions, stockholders who elect to participate in our distribution reinvestment plan will not receive any corresponding cash distributions with which to pay any such applicable taxes. Stockholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares of common stock will be treated as receiving a distribution in the amount of the fair market value of our shares of common stock. If stockholders hold shares in the name of a broker or financial intermediary, they should contact such broker or financial intermediary regarding their option to elect to receive distributions in additional shares of our common stock under our distribution reinvestment plan in lieu of cash.

In order to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment, we must, among other things, make distributions treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes of an amount at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, each tax year. As long as the distributions are declared by the later of the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of a tax year or the due date of

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the tax return for such tax year, including extensions, distributions paid up to twelve months after the current tax year can be carried back to the prior tax year for determining the distributions paid in such tax year. We intend to make sufficient distributions treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to our stockholders to qualify for and maintain our RIC tax status each tax year. We will also generally be subject to nondeductible federal excise taxes on certain undistributed income unless we make distributions in a timely manner to our stockholders generally of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our net ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income, which is the excess of capital gains in excess of capital losses or “capital gain net income” (adjusted for certain ordinary losses), for the one-year period ending October 31 of that calendar year and (3) any net ordinary income and capital gain net income for the preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we incurred no U.S. federal income tax. Any distribution declared by us during October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated as if it had been paid by us, as well as received by our U.S. stockholders, on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit us to pay any cash distributions. If we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings. See “Regulation” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

The following table reflects the cash distributions per share that we declared and paid on our common stock during the year ended December 31, 2016. Dollar amounts in the table below are presented in thousands, except per share data:

We currently declare regular cash distributions on a weekly basis and pay such distributions on a monthly basis. On November 7, 2016, our board of directors declared regular weekly cash distributions for January 2017 through March 2017 in the amount of $0.012808 per share, which was paid to stockholders of record through February 6, 2017. On February 7, 2017, our board of directors determined to increase the regular weekly cash distributions for stockholders of record as of February 7, 2017 through March 2017 to $0.015454 per share. On March 8, 2017, our board of directors declared regular weekly cash distributions for April 2017 through June 2017 in the amount of $0.015454 per share. On April 6, 2017, our board of directors determined to increase the regular weekly cash distributions for stockholders of record as of April 11, 2017 to $0.015521 per share. These distributions have been or will be paid monthly to Class T stockholders of record as of weekly record dates previously determined by our board of directors.

We have adopted an “opt in” distribution reinvestment plan for our stockholders. As a result, if we make a cash distribution, our stockholders will receive the distribution in cash unless they specifically “opt in” to the distribution reinvestment plan so as to have their cash distribution reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. However, certain state authorities or regulators may impose restrictions from time to time that may prevent or limit a stockholder’s ability to participate in our distribution reinvestment plan. See “Distribution Reinvestment Plan.”

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The following table reflects the sources of the cash distributions on a tax basis that we have paid on our common stock during the year ended December 31, 2016. Dollar amounts in the table below and the paragraph that follows such table are presented in thousands:

Our net investment income on a tax basis for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $3,339. As of December 31, 2016, we had $2,032 of undistributed net investment income and accumulated undistributed net realized gains on a tax basis.

The difference between our GAAP-basis net investment income (loss) and our tax-basis net investment income is primarily due to the reversal of the required accrual for GAAP purposes of incentive fees on unrealized gains even though no such incentive fees on unrealized gains are payable by us, the tax basis net investment income portion of the total return swap payments and the accretion of discount on the TRS.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation between GAAP-basis net investment income (loss) and tax-basis net investment income during the year ended December 31, 2016. Dollar amounts in the table below are presented in thousands:

The determination of the tax attributes of our distributions is made annually as of the end of our fiscal year based upon our taxable income for the full year and distributions paid for the full year.

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Therefore, a determination made on a quarterly basis may not be representative of the actual tax attributes of our distributions for a full year. The actual tax characteristics of distributions to stockholders are reported to stockholders annually on Form 1099-DIV.

As of December 31, 2016, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows (dollar amounts in the table below, the related note and the paragraph that follows such note are presented in thousands):

The aggregate cost of our investments, including the accretion of discount on the TRS, for U.S. federal income tax purposes totaled $62,061 as of December 31, 2016. The aggregate net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on a tax basis, including our TRS, was $3,671 as of December 31, 2016.

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