Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Transactions with the Adviser
We pay the Adviser certain fees as compensation for its services under the Advisory Agreement, consisting of a base management fee and an incentive fee and a loan servicing fee for the Adviser’s role as servicer pursuant to the Credit Facility, all as described below. On July 11, 2023, our Board of Directors, including a majority of the directors who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of either party, approved the annual renewal of the Advisory Agreement through August 31, 2024.
Two of our executive officers, David Gladstone (our chairman and chief executive officer) and Terry Lee Brubaker (our chief operating officer) serve as directors and executive officers of the Adviser, which is 100% indirectly owned and controlled by Mr. Gladstone. David Dullum (our president) is also the executive vice president of private equity (buyouts) of the Adviser. Michael LiCalsi, our general counsel and secretary (who also serves as the Administrator’s president, general counsel and secretary), is also the executive vice president of administration, general counsel, and secretary of our Adviser.
The following table summarizes the base management fees, loan servicing fees, incentive fees, and associated non-contractual, unconditional, and irrevocable credits reflected in our accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations:

Year Ended March 31,

2024 2023 2022
Average total assets subject to base management fee(A)
$ 875,000  $ 739,900  $ 705,650 
Multiplied by annual base management fee of 2.0%
 2.0  % 2.0  % 2.0  %
Base management fee(B)
17,500  14,798  14,113 
Credits to fees from Adviser - other(B)
(5,596) (3,811) (6,497)
Net base management fee
 $ 11,904  $ 10,987  $ 7,616 
Loan servicing fee(B)
$ 9,118  $ 7,880  $ 7,178 
Credits to base management fee - loan servicing fee(B)
(9,118) (7,880) (7,178)
Net loan servicing fee
 $ —  $ —  $ — 

Incentive fee – income-based
 $ 8,336  $ 9,176  $ 8,074 
Incentive fee – capital gains-based(C)
12,711  (296) 18,286 
Total incentive fee(B)
21,047  8,880  26,360 
Credits to fees from Adviser - other(B)
—  —  — 
Net total incentive fee $ 21,047  $ 8,880  $ 26,360 
(A)Average total assets subject to the base management fee is defined in the Advisory Agreement as total assets, including investments made with proceeds of borrowings, less any uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from borrowings, valued at the end of the applicable quarters within the respective periods and adjusted appropriately for any share issuances or repurchases during the periods.
(B)Reflected as a line item on our accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(C)The capital gains-based incentive fees are recorded in accordance with GAAP and do not necessarily reflect amounts contractually due under the terms of the Advisory Agreement.
Base Management Fee
The base management fee is payable quarterly to the Adviser pursuant to our Advisory Agreement and is assessed at an annual rate of 2.0%, computed on the basis of the value of our average gross assets at the end of the two most recently completed quarters (inclusive of the current quarter), which are total assets, including investments made with proceeds of borrowings, less any uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from borrowings, valued at the end of the applicable quarters within the respective period and adjusted appropriately for any share issuances or repurchases during the period.
Additionally, pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Adviser makes available significant managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. The Adviser may also provide other services to our portfolio companies under certain agreements and may receive fees for services other than managerial assistance. Such services may include: (i) assistance obtaining, sourcing or structuring credit facilities, long term loans or additional equity from unaffiliated third parties; (ii) negotiating important contractual financial relationships; (iii) consulting services regarding restructuring of the portfolio company and financial modeling as it relates to raising additional debt and equity capital from unaffiliated third parties; and (iv) taking a primary role in interviewing, vetting, and negotiating employment contracts with candidates in connection with adding and retaining key portfolio company management team members. The Adviser non-contractually, unconditionally, and irrevocably credits 100% of any fees received for such services against the base management fee that we would otherwise be required to pay to the Adviser; however, pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, a small percentage of certain of such fees, was retained by the Adviser in the form of reimbursement, at cost, for tasks completed by personnel of the Adviser, primarily related to the valuation of portfolio companies. For the years ended March 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, these credits totaled $0.3 million, $0.2 million, and $0.3 million, respectively.
Loan Servicing Fee
The Adviser also services the loans held by our wholly-owned subsidiary, Business Investment (the borrower under the Credit Facility), in return for which the Adviser receives a 2.0% annual fee based on the monthly aggregate outstanding balance of loans pledged under the Credit Facility. Since Business Investment is a consolidated subsidiary of ours, coupled with the fact that the total base management fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement cannot exceed 2.0% of total assets (less any uninvested cash or cash equivalents resulting from borrowings) during any given calendar year, we treat payment of the loan servicing fee pursuant to the Credit Facility as a pre-payment of the base management fee under the Advisory Agreement. Accordingly, these loan servicing fees are 100% non-contractually, unconditionally, and irrevocably credited back to us by the Adviser.
Incentive Fee
The incentive fee payable to the Adviser under our Advisory Agreement consists of two parts: an income-based incentive fee and a capital gains-based incentive fee.
The income-based incentive fee rewards the Adviser if our quarterly net investment income (before giving effect to any incentive fee) exceeds 1.75% of our net assets, which we define as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any incentive fees payable or contractually due but not payable during the period, at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, adjusted appropriately for any share issuances or repurchases during the period (the “Hurdle Rate”). The income-based incentive fee with respect to our pre-incentive fee net investment income is payable quarterly to the Adviser and is computed as follows:
•No incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the Hurdle Rate;
•100.0% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds the Hurdle Rate but is less than 2.1875% of our net assets, adjusted appropriately for any share issuances or repurchases during the period, in any calendar quarter; and
•20.0% of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds 2.1875% of our net assets, adjusted appropriately for any share issuances or repurchases during the period, in any calendar quarter.
The second part of the incentive fee is a capital gains-based incentive fee that is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon termination of the Advisory Agreement, as of the termination date), and equals 20.0% of our realized capital gains, less any realized capital losses and unrealized depreciation, calculated as of the end of the
preceding calendar year. The capital gains-based incentive fee payable to the Adviser is calculated based on (i) cumulative aggregate realized capital gains since our inception, less (ii) cumulative aggregate realized capital losses since our inception, less (iii) the entire portfolio’s aggregate unrealized capital depreciation, if any, as of the date of the calculation. If this number is positive at the applicable calculation date, then the capital gains-based incentive fee for such year equals 20.0% of such amount, less the aggregate amount of any capital gains-based incentive fees paid in respect of our portfolio in all prior years. For calculation purposes, cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, if any, equals the sum of the excess between the net sales price of each investment, when sold, and the original cost of such investment since our inception. Cumulative aggregate realized capital losses equals the sum of the deficit between the net sales price of each investment, when sold, and the original cost of such investment since our inception. The entire portfolio’s aggregate unrealized capital depreciation, if any, equals the sum of the deficit between the fair value of each investment security as of the applicable calculation date and the original cost of such investment security. As of and for the years ended March 31, 2024 and 2022, capital gains-based incentive fees of $1.1 million and $5.3 million, respectively, were contractually due and paid to the Adviser. For the year ended March 31, 2023, no capital gains-based incentive fees were contractually due and paid to the Adviser.
In accordance with GAAP, accrual of the capital gains-based incentive fee is determined as if our investments had been liquidated at their fair values as of the end of the reporting period. Therefore, GAAP requires that the capital gains-based incentive fee accrual consider the aggregate unrealized capital appreciation in the calculation, as a capital gains-based incentive fee would be payable if such unrealized capital appreciation were realized. There can be no assurance that any such unrealized capital appreciation will be realized in the future. Accordingly, a GAAP accrual is calculated at the end of the reporting period based on (i) cumulative aggregate realized capital gains since our inception, plus (ii) the entire portfolio’s aggregate unrealized capital appreciation, if any, less (iii) cumulative aggregate realized capital losses since our inception, less (iv) the entire portfolio’s aggregate unrealized capital depreciation, if any. If such amount is positive at the end of a reporting period, a capital gains-based incentive fee equal to 20.0% of such amount, less the aggregate amount of capital gains-based incentive fees accrued in all prior years, is recorded, regardless of whether such amount is contractually due under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. If such amount is negative, then there is no accrual for such period and prior period accruals are reversed, as appropriate. During the years ended March 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recorded/(reversed) capital gains-based incentive fees of $12.7 million, $(0.3) million and $18.3 million, respectively.
Transactions with the Administrator
We reimburse the Administrator pursuant to the Administration Agreement for our allocable portion of the Administrator’s expenses incurred while performing services to us, which are primarily rent and salaries and benefits expenses of the Administrator’s employees, including, our chief financial officer and treasurer, chief valuation officer, chief compliance officer, and general counsel and secretary, and their respective staffs. Two of our executive officers, David Gladstone (our chairman and chief executive officer) and Terry Lee Brubaker (our chief operating officer) serve as members of the board of managers and executive officers of the Administrator, which is 100% indirectly owned and controlled by Mr. Gladstone. Another of our officers, Mr. LiCalsi (our general counsel and secretary), serves as the Administrator’s president as well as the executive vice president of administration, general counsel, and secretary for the Adviser.
Our allocable portion of the Administrator’s expenses is generally derived by multiplying the Administrator’s total expenses by the approximate percentage of time during the current quarter the Administrator’s employees performed services for us in relation to their time spent performing services for all companies serviced by the Administrator. On July 11, 2023, our Board of Directors, including a majority of the directors who are not parties to the Administration Agreement or interested persons of either party, approved the annual renewal of the Administration Agreement through August 31, 2024. Administration fees for each of the years ended March 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 were $1.8 million.
Transactions with Gladstone Securities, LLC
Gladstone Securities, LLC (“Gladstone Securities”) is a privately held broker dealer registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Gladstone Securities is an affiliate of ours, as its parent company is 100% indirectly owned and controlled by David Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer. Mr. Gladstone also serves on the board of managers of Gladstone Securities.
Other Transactions
From time to time, Gladstone Securities provides services, such as investment banking and due diligence services, to certain of our portfolio companies, for which it receives a fee. Any such fees paid by portfolio companies to Gladstone
Securities do not impact the fees we pay to the Adviser or the non-contractual, unconditional, and irrevocable credits against the base management fee. During the years ended March 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, the fees received by Gladstone Securities from portfolio companies totaled $0.3 million, $1.6 million, and $3.2 million, respectively.
Related Party Fees Due
Amounts due to related parties on our accompanying Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities were as follows:

As of March 31,

2024 2023
Base management and loan servicing fee due to Adviser, net of credits
 $ 2,386  $ 1,574 
Incentive fee due to Adviser(A)
38,936  27,259 
Other due to Adviser
 22  86 
Total fees due to Adviser
 $ 41,344  $ 28,919 
Fee due to Administrator 727  716 
Total related party fees due $ 42,071  $ 29,635 
(A)Includes a capital gains-based incentive fee of $36.7 million and $25.1 million as of March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, recorded in accordance with GAAP requirements and which was not contractually due under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. Refer to Note 4 — Related Party Transactions—Transactions with the Adviser—Incentive Fee for additional information, including capital gains-based incentive fee payments made.
Net expenses receivable from Gladstone Capital Corporation, one of our affiliated funds, for reimbursement of certain co-investment expenses, there were $0.1 million of co-investment expenses as of March 31, 2024. There were no co-investment expenses as of March 31, 2023. These amounts are generally settled in the quarter subsequent to being incurred and have been included in Other assets, net on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities as of March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.