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Arjuna Capital, LLC
353 West Main Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 794-4794
www.arjuna-capital.com
PART 2A OF FORM ADV
FIRM BROCHURE
March 25, 2025
This brochure provides information about the qualifications and business practices of
Arjuna Capital, LLC (“Arjuna Capital” or “Adviser”). If you have any questions about the
contents of this brochure, please contact us at (919) 794-4794. The information in this
brochure has not been approved or verified by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission or by any state securities authority.
Additional information about Arjuna Capital, LLC is available on the SEC’s website at
www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Arjuna Capital, LLC is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the U.S.
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). SEC registration does
not imply a certain level of skill or training.
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ITEM 2 – MATERIAL CHANGES
This brochure dated March 25, 2025 replaces the brochure previously filed by Arjuna
Capital on March 28, 2024. We will provide you with an updated brochure, as required,
based on the changes or new information, or upon request, at any time without charge.
The following material changes have been made since the previous amendment:
Item 4 – Updated to correct assets under management as of December 31, 2024.
Item 8 – Clarified language regarding investment strategies.
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ITEM 3 – TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 2 – MATERIAL CHANGES ............................................................................................ 2
ITEM 3 – TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... 3
ITEM 4 – ADVISORY BUSINESS ............................................................................................ 4
ITEM 5 – FEES AND COMPENSATION .................................................................................. 5
ITEM 6 – PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT ........................ 7
ITEM 7 – TYPES OF CLIENTS ................................................................................................ 7
ITEM 8 – METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF LOSS............. 7
ITEM 9 – DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION ............................................................................ 13
ITEM 10 – OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS ......................... 13
ITEM 11 – CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS
AND PERSONAL TRADING ................................................................................................. 14
ITEM 12 – BROKERAGE PRACTICES ................................................................................... 16
ITEM 13 – REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS .................................................................................... 19
ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION ........................................... 19
ITEM 15 – CUSTODY .......................................................................................................... 19
ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION ............................................................................... 20
ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES ............................................................................. 20
ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION ............................................................................... 21
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ITEM 4 – ADVISORY BUSINESS
4.A. Advisory Firm Description
Arjuna Capital was formed in 2013 as a part of Baldwin Brothers, LLC, and became
independent in 2016. Arjuna Capital is owned by Frank Farnum Brown, Jr. and Natasha
Lamb. Arjuna Capital’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art investment solutions that
meet or exceed clients’ financial needs, and lead to a more just and healthy planet.
4.B. Types of Advisory Services
Arjuna Capital provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals,
high net worth individuals, charitable organizations, and business entities. Arjuna Capital
provides investment advisory services to clients on a discretionary basis. Investment in
private pooled investment vehicles (the “Private Funds”) is generally limited to persons
who are “accredited investors” under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and, in the
case of some of the funds, “qualified purchasers” under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”). Private Funds are not made available to
the general public and are not registered investment companies.
Arjuna Capital seeks to build sustainable wealth for its clients working with partners and
using proprietary sustainable investment strategies which focus on climate solutions,
economic opportunity, and healthy communities. Arjuna Capital offers advice on private
equity securities, and publicly-traded securities, including exchange-listed securities,
securities traded over-the-counter, and securities of foreign issuers. Arjuna Capital also
provides advice on investing in alternative investments, corporate debt securities,
commercial paper, municipal securities, mutual funds, United States government
securities, option contracts on securities, and futures contracts on intangibles.
Arjuna Capital’s financial planning services focus on a client’s particular financial
objectives and circumstances and may address cash flow needs, retirement or other long-
term plans. Arjuna Capital will develop a financial plan which may be updated from time
to time as the clients’ needs and circumstances change.
4.C. Client Investment Objectives/Restrictions
Arjuna Capital shapes each client's portfolio to suit their needs and values and to respond
to global investment opportunities and risks. Clients may impose restrictions on investing
in certain securities or types of securities. Any limitations and restrictions requested by
clients for their accounts must be presented to Arjuna Capital in writing.
4.D. Wrap-Fee Programs
Arjuna Capital does not participate in a wrap fee program.
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4.E. Assets under Management
As of December 31, 2024 Arjuna Capital’s assets under management were $517,068,139
managed on a discretionary basis.
ITEM 5 – FEES AND COMPENSATION
5. A. Adviser Compensation
Arjuna Capital’s fees are described generally below and detailed in each client’s advisory
agreement. Fees for services may be negotiated with each client on an individual basis,
and may be different from Arjuna Capital’s stated fee schedules. Arjuna Capital may
group multiple accounts of a client (or group of related clients) together for fee billing
purposes.
Fees may change over time and as discussed below, different fee schedules may apply to
different types of clients, strategies and advisory arrangements. In such cases, Arjuna
Capital reserves the right to waive or reduce the fees charged to a particular client in its
sole and absolute discretion. In determining the value of an account for purposes of
calculating fees, securities that are not publicly traded are valued at cost unless otherwise
disclosed to the client.
Arjuna Capital’s standard fee schedule for separately managed accounts appears below:
1.00% per year for the first $2,000,000;
0.75% per year for the next $3,000,000;
0.50% per year for the next $5,000,000;
0.45% per year for the next $40,000,000; and
0.40% per year for amounts over $50,000,000
Other Advisory Fee Arrangements. Arjuna Capital reserves the right, in its sole discretion,
to negotiate and charge different advisory fees for certain accounts based on the client’s
particular goals, needs, overall financial condition, risk tolerance, and other factors
unique to the client’s particular circumstances.
5. B. Direct Billing of Advisory Fees
Clients may request that fees owed to Arjuna Capital be deducted directly from the
clients’ respective custodial accounts. In instances where a client has authorized direct
billing, Arjuna Capital takes steps to ensure that the client’s qualified custodian sends
periodic account statements, no less frequently than quarterly, showing all transactions
in the account, including fees paid to Arjuna Capital, directly to the client. Generally,
Arjuna Capital will invoice clients for their advisory fees whether direct billing is used or
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not. Clients have the option to be billed by invoice to make a direct payment for fees
rather than having fees deducted from their account. Arjuna Capital will generally bill its
fees on a quarterly basis.
5. C. Other Non-Advisory Fees
Arjuna Capital’s advisory fee is generally exclusive of brokerage commissions, transaction
fees, and other related costs and expenses which shall be incurred by the client. If a client
invests in a third-party manager, there may be additional fees charged by the manager.
Clients may incur certain charges imposed by custodians, brokers and other third parties,
including but not limited to, fees charged by managers, custodial fees, deferred sales
charges, odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer and electronic fund fees, and
other fees and taxes on brokerage accounts and securities transactions. A client’s
portfolio may include positions in mutual funds or exchange traded funds which also
charge internal management fees, which are disclosed in those funds’ prospectuses. Such
charges, fees and commissions are exclusive of, and in addition to, Arjuna Capital’s fee,
and Arjuna Capital will not receive any portion of these commissions, fees, and costs. Item
12 further describes the factors that Arjuna Capital considers
in selecting or
recommending broker-dealers for client transactions and determining the fairness and
reasonableness of commissions and service charges.
5. D. Advance Payment of Fees
Advisory fees for some separately managed accounts are billed quarterly in advance and
are payable upon receipt, commencing upon opening of the account. Certain advisory
clients may be billed quarterly in arrears. Fees are normally based on the level of total
assets under management, including cash, securities, and accrued income, as of the last
business day of the prior calendar quarter. Generally, advisory agreements are
terminable by the client or Arjuna Capital upon written notice to the other. In the event
that an advisory agreement is terminated prior to the conclusion of a billing period, Arjuna
Capital will refund a pro rata portion of any pre-paid fees, or if billed in arrears, bill the
account pro rata based on the date of termination.
5. E. Compensation for Sale of Securities or Other Investment Products
Arjuna Capital’s supervised persons do not accept compensation for the sale of securities
or other investment products to clients, including asset-based sales charges or service
fees from the sale of mutual funds.
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ITEM 6 – PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT
Arjuna Capital does not charge performance fees.
ITEM 7 – TYPES OF CLIENTS
Arjuna Capital provides services to a number of types of clients:
Individuals, including high net worth individuals
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• Trusts, estates and charitable organizations
• Corporations or other businesses
For separately-managed accounts, Arjuna Capital generally requires a minimum dollar
value of assets under management of $2,000,000 for starting or maintaining the account
or relationship. Arjuna Capital may group certain related client accounts for purposes of
achieving the minimum account size or may waive the minimum account size in its sole
discretion.
ITEM 8 – METHODS OF ANALYSIS, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK OF
LOSS
8. A. Methods of Analysis and Investment Strategies
In addition to fundamental and technical analysis, Arjuna Capital integrates sustainability
factors into its investment approach in an effort to enhance returns and lower risk. Some
investments are managed directly by Arjuna Capital personnel, and some are handled by
outside managers, who have been vetted carefully to provide a particular expertise in
certain asset classes. In some instances, certain client accounts will hold securities that
do not fit a sustainability strategy, at client discretion. The objectives of Arjuna Capital’s
strategies are growth as well as preservation of capital.
8. B. Material Risks of Investment Strategies
There can be no guarantee of success for the strategies offered by Arjuna Capital. These
factors may affect the level and volatility of security pricing and the liquidity of an
investment.
Trading in the portfolios may affect investment performance, particularly through
increased brokerage and other transaction costs and taxes.
Concentration. While Arjuna Capital seeks to adequately diversify client portfolios, the
portfolios may be more heavily invested in certain sectors, which may cause the value of
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their shares to be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that affect those
particular sectors and may cause the value of the portfolios to fluctuate more widely than
a comparative benchmark. Because Arjuna Capital may invest a greater portion of client
portfolio assets in securities of a single issuer or a limited number of issuers than a more
diverse portfolio, client portfolios may be more susceptible to one or more adverse
occurrences affecting one or more of these issuers.
Sustainable Investing Risks. Arjuna Capital will invest in securities screened for
sustainability criteria as well as traditional financial criteria. It should be noted that
Arjuna’s approach may exclude certain companies or industries in the public markets,
such as the traditional energy/fossil-fuel sector. At times, exclusions could result in client
portfolios not having exposure to companies or industries that perform well in certain
time periods and could increase the relative value of the portfolio during such time
periods.
Counterparty Risk, Financial Difficulties of Institutions and Custodians. Some of the
instruments in which client portfolios may be invested may be traded in markets in which
performance will be the responsibility only of the individual counterparty and not of an
exchange or clearinghouse. In these cases, the assets will be subject to the risk of the
inability of, or refusal by, the counterparty to perform with respect to such contracts.
There is the possibility that institutions, including brokerage firms and banks with whom
Arjuna Capital does business, or to which securities have been entrusted for custodial
purposes, will encounter financial difficulties that may impair the operational capabilities
or the positions in the portfolio.
Currency Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments that are valued in a foreign
currency are subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in
relation to one or more other currencies. Factors that may affect currency values are
trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of
comparable assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and
capital appreciation and political developments.
Dependency on Third-Party Information. Arjuna Capital selects investments, in part, on
the basis of information and data filed by issuers with various government regulators or
made directly available to the adviser by the issuers or through sources other than the
issuers. Although Arjuna Capital evaluates such information and data and typically seeks
independent corroboration when Arjuna Capital considers it is appropriate and
reasonably available, Arjuna Capital is not in a position to confirm the completeness,
genuineness or accuracy of such information and data, and in some cases, complete and
accurate information is not available.
General Economic and Market Conditions. The success of a portfolio’s activities may be
affected by general economic and market conditions, such as interest rates, availability
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of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws and national and
international political circumstances. These factors may affect the level and volatility of
securities prices and the liquidity of certain investments. Unexpected volatility or
illiquidity could impair a portfolio’s profitability or result in losses.
Illiquidity. Portfolios may invest in private market securities or other illiquid investments,
which may make it difficult or impossible to dispose of such investments at desired times,
thereby increasing the risk of loss.
Leverage. Arjuna Capital may recommend that clients utilize leverage, which involves the
borrowing of funds from brokerage firms, banks and other institutions in order to be able
to increase the amount of capital available for investments. Performance may be more
volatile when a client account employs leverage, because leverage has the potential to
magnify the gains or losses in a client’s portfolio. Furthermore, clients that utilize leverage
may not be able to successfully close their leveraged positions on time or at all, which
may lead to client losses.
Management Risk. Arjuna Capital’s assessments about the value and potential
appreciation of a particular security may not be right, and there is no guarantee that
individual securities will perform as anticipated.
Market Competition. Portfolio companies have market competitors that may offer or
develop more diverse or successful product lines, technology advancements, and/or
management or business approaches that are more successful than those issuers selected
by Arjuna Capital.
Market Risk. There is the possibility that the value of equity securities may decline due to
fluctuations in the securities markets generally. Stock prices may change daily as a result
of many factors, including, but not limited to, developments affecting the condition of
both individual companies and the market in general. The price of a stock may even be
affected by factors unrelated to the value or condition of its issuer, such as changes in
interest rates, national and international economic and/or political conditions and
general equity market conditions. In a declining stock market, prices for all companies
may decline regardless of their long-term prospects.
Portfolio Turnover. There may be instances when portfolios are subject to frequent
trading and, thus, the brokerage -commission -to -assets ratio may significantly exceed
those of other investment entities. High rates of portfolio turnover could lower
performance of Arjuna Capital portfolios due to these increased costs and may also result
in the realization of short-term capital gains.
Short Sales. Client portfolios may sell securities short, which involves the sale of the
security that the client account does not own and must borrow in order to make delivery
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in the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. Securities
sold short are subject to unlimited risk of loss because there is no limit on the price that
a security may appreciate before the short position is closed.
8. C. Material Risks of Securities Used in Investment Strategies
Early-Stage Company Risk. Companies selected for investment may be privately-held
companies in early stages of growth (“early-stage companies”). The performance of early-
stage companies may be more volatile due to their limited product lines, markets and
financial reserves or their susceptibility to competitors’ actions, major economic setbacks
or downturns. These companies may depend on the management talents and efforts of
a small group of persons and, as a result, the death, disability, resignation or termination
of one or more of those persons could have a material adverse impact on their business
and prospects and the investment made. Early-stage companies may require significant
investment of capital to support their operating or finance the development of their
products or markets, and they may be highly leveraged and subject to significant debt
service obligations. Early-stage companies may have limited financial resources and may
be unable to meet their obligations under their securities, which may be accompanied by
a deterioration in the value of their equity securities or any collateral or guarantees
provided with respect to their debt, and there may be little public information about the
early-stage companies.
Equity Investments. The prices of equity securities will fluctuate over time, and a client
portfolio could lose a substantial part, or even all, of its investment in a particular issue.
Equity Securities – Other Risks. In addition to common stocks, the equity securities in a
client portfolio may include preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks, convertible
bonds, and warrants. Like common stocks, the value of these equity securities may
fluctuate in response to many factors, including, but not limited to, the activities of the
issuer, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry
changes. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest payments or a
dividend preference until the security matures, is redeemed, or the conversion feature is
exercised. As a result of the conversion feature, the interest rate or dividend preference
is generally less than if the securities were non-convertible. Warrants entitle the holder
to purchase equity securities at specific prices for a certain period of time. The prices do
not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities, and the warrants
have no voting rights, receive no dividends, and have no rights with respect to the assets
of the issuer.
Exchange-Traded Products. Arjuna Capital may invest the assets of a client’s portfolio in
(or sell short) exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) and other
exchange-traded products (“ETPs”). The shares of an ETF may be assembled in a block
(typically 50,000 shares) known as a creation unit and redeemed in kind for a portfolio of
the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s net asset value) together with a cash
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payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption.
Conversely, a creation unit may be purchased from the ETF by depositing a specified
portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to
accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit.
Arjuna Capital’s ability to redeem creation units may be limited by the Investment
Company Act, which provides that the ETFs will not be obligated to redeem shares held
by Arjuna Capital in an amount exceeding one percent of their total outstanding securities
during any period of less than 30 days. ETPs other than ETFs are issued in shares or units,
and trade on exchanges like ETFs.
There is a risk that the underlying ETPs in which Arjuna Capital invests may terminate due
to extraordinary events that may cause any of the service providers to the ETPs, such as
the trustees or sponsors, to close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the
ETPs. Also, because the ETPs in which Arjuna Capital invests may be granted licenses by
agreement to use various indices as a basis for determining their compositions and/or
otherwise to use certain trade names, the ETPs may terminate if such license agreements
are terminated. In addition, an ETP may terminate if its net assets fall below a certain
amount. Although Arjuna Capital believes that, in the event of the termination of an
underlying ETP, it will be able to invest instead in shares of an alternate ETP with a similar
strategy, there is no guarantee that shares of an alternate ETP would be available for
investment at that time.
Investments in ETPs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments
in conventional registered investment companies (e.g., mutual funds) that hold a
portfolio of securities including, without limitation: (1) risks that the general level of
security prices for the ETP’s investment strategy may decline, thereby adversely affecting
the value of each share or unit of the ETP; (2) an index-based ETP may not fully replicate
the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of
certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETP and
the index with respect to the weighting of securities or number of stocks held; and (3) an
index ETP may also be adversely affected by the performance of the specific index, market
sector or group of industries on which it is based. In addition, ETPs are subject to the
following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (1) the market price of an ETP’s
shares may trade at a discount to its net asset value; (2) an active trading market for an
ETP’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (3) trading of an ETP’s shares may be
halted if the listing exchange deems such action appropriate; and (4) ETP shares may be
delisted from the exchange on which they trade, or activation of “circuit breakers” (which
are tied to large decreases in stock prices) may halt trading temporarily. ETPs are also
subject to the risks of the underlying securities the ETP is designed to track or invest in.
Foreign Securities. Investments in foreign securities may be volatile and can decline
significantly
in response to foreign political, regulatory, market or economic
developments. Foreign securities are also subject to interest rate and currency exchange
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rate risks. These risks may be magnified in securities originating in emerging markets.
Foreign securities may also be subject to taxes of the issuer’s country and other complex
tax issues.
Private Investment Vehicles. Client portfolios may be invested in other private funds, such
as private equity funds, venture capital funds or other private pooled vehicles.
Investments in a private fund may be subject to wide swings in value and may employ the
use of leverage or hold illiquid securities. An investment in the private fund will not be
liquid and may not have limitations on particular sectors, industries, countries, regions or
securities. Because private investment vehicles are not registered investment companies,
they are not subject to the same regulatory reporting or oversight as registered entities.
Small- and Mid-Cap Issuer Risk. Portfolios may contain the securities of small- or mid-cap
issuers. Small-cap issuers generally have less demand for their products and services and
more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established issuers. As
a result, securities of small- and mid-cap issuers may be more sensitive to market
downturns than those of large-cap issuers, thereby causing the value of the client
portfolios to also be more sensitive to market downturns.
Risks Related to Fixed Income Investments
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt security or
counterparty to the portfolio’s transactions will be unable or unwilling to make timely
principal and/or interest payments, or otherwise will be unable or unwilling to honor its
financial obligations. If the issuer, guarantor, or counterparty fails to pay interest, the
portfolio’s income may be reduced. If the issuer, guarantor, or counterparty fails to repay
principal, the value of that security and the value of the portfolio may be reduced.
Fixed Income Securities. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk of an issuer’s
ability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation (credit risk), and may
also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market
perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (market
risk). The market values of fixed income securities tend to vary inversely with the level of
interest rates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, when economic conditions appear to be
deteriorating, medium to lower rated securities may decline in value due to heightened
concern over credit quality, regardless of prevailing interest rates.
Interest Rate Risk. The value of a portfolio’s fixed income investments will generally vary
inversely with the direction of prevailing interest rate movements. Generally, when
interest rates rise, the value of a portfolio’s fixed income investments can be expected to
decline.
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Municipal Securities. Investments may be made in municipal securities. Municipal
securities consist of (1) debt obligations issued by state and local governments or by
public authorities to obtain funds to be used for various public facilities, for refunding
outstanding obligations, for general operating expenses and for lending such funds to
other public institutions and facilities, and (2) certain private activity and industrial
development bonds issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide
for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated facilities.
Prices and yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, such as the
financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, and
the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue.
Rating Agencies. Ratings assigned by Moody’s and/or S&P and/or Fitch to securities
acquired in a portfolio reflect only the views of those agencies. Explanations of the
significance of ratings should be obtained from Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. No assurance
can be given that ratings assigned will not be withdrawn or revised downward if, in the
view of Moody’s, S&P or Fitch, circumstances so warrant. A lower rating may adversely
affect the value of the security acquired by a portfolio, thereby adversely affecting the
value of the portfolio.
These strategies may not be suitable for all clients including investors in private funds.
Investors in a private partnership, who are subject to income tax, should be aware that
the investment in the partnership may create taxable income or tax liabilities in excess of
cash distributions to pay such liabilities.
Investment in these types of securities involves risk and potential loss of capital. Investing
in securities involves risk of loss that clients and private fund investors should be prepared
to bear.
ITEM 9 – DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION
Registered investment advisers are required to disclose all material facts regarding any
legal or disciplinary events that would be material to your evaluation of them or the
integrity of their management. Arjuna Capital has no information applicable to this Item.
ITEM 10 – OTHER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS
10. A. Registered Representatives
Arjuna Capital’s management persons are not registered, nor do any management
persons have an application pending to register, as a broker dealer or a registered
representative of a broker dealer.
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10. B. Other Registrations
Arjuna Capital’s management persons are not registered, nor do any management
persons have an application pending to register, as a futures commission merchant,
commodity pool operator, a commodity trading advisor, or an associated person of the
foregoing entities.
10. C. Material Relationships or Arrangements
New Summit Investments LLC, an investment adviser registered with the SEC, is an
affiliate, and is partially owned by representatives of Arjuna Capital. New Summit
manages private funds that Arjuna Capital will recommend to its clients. In one private
fund managed by New Summit, if Arjuna Capital’s client becomes an investor in that
private fund, the client will also be subject to their pro rata portion of the private fund
research fee and expenses in addition to the advisory fee they pay to Arjuna Capital.
Natasha Lamb and Farnum Brown, Jr. collaborate with New Summit to provide
investment advice.
10. D. Recommendation of Other Investment Advisers
Arjuna Capital may recommend other investment advisers, but it does not receive any
compensation related to its recommendation of other investment advisers.
ITEM 11 – CODE OF ETHICS, PARTICIPATION OR INTEREST IN CLIENT TRANSACTIONS
AND PERSONAL TRADING
11. A. Code of Ethics Document
Arjuna Capital has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 204A-1 of the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. A basic tenet of Arjuna Capital’s Code of Ethics is that
the interests of clients are placed first. The Code of Ethics includes standards of business
conduct requiring covered persons to comply with the federal securities laws and the
fiduciary duties an investment advisor owes to its clients. Arjuna Capital will provide a
copy of its Code of Ethics to any client or prospective client upon request.
11. B. Recommendations of Securities and Material Financial Interests
As a matter of policy, Arjuna Capital does not engage in principal transactions or agency
cross transactions. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved in advance by the
Chief Compliance Officer.
11. C. Personal Trading
Arjuna Capital has adopted a Code of Ethics to ensure that personal investing activities by
Arjuna Capital’s employees are consistent with Arjuna Capital’s fiduciary duty to its
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clients. The Code of Ethics includes standards of business conduct requiring covered
persons to comply with the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties an investment
adviser owes to its clients. For purposes of its Code of Ethics, Arjuna Capital has
determined that all employees are access persons.
Access persons are required to notify Arjuna Capital’s Chief Compliance Officer to pre-
clear certain personal securities transactions. Access persons are permitted to buy or sell
securities that it also recommends to clients consistent with Arjuna Capital’s policies and
procedures. In order to avoid potential conflicts that could be created by personal trading
among Arjuna Capital access persons, access persons must provide quarterly reports of
their personal transactions within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter, which may
consist of monthly brokerage statements for reportable accounts in which they have a
beneficial interest, to the CCO. Access persons may direct their brokers to send copies of
brokerage confirmations relating to reportable personal securities transactions in which
they have a beneficial ownership interest. Access persons must also submit statements
of their personal holdings in reportable securities as well as information about brokerage
accounts to Arjuna Capital’s CCO within 10 days after becoming subject to the Code of
Ethics and on an annual basis thereafter.
The Code also requires that all access persons comply with ethical restraints relating to
clients and their accounts, including restrictions on gifts and provisions intended to
prevent violations of laws prohibiting insider trading.
11. D. Timing of Personal Trading
Since Arjuna Capital access persons may invest in the same securities or related securities
(e.g., warrants, options or futures) that Arjuna Capital recommends to clients, Access
Persons may not transact in a Reportable Security on the same day any trades in the
security are made for client accounts, except as provided for in the Code of Ethics. The
price paid or received by a client account for any security should not be materially
affected by a buying or selling interest on the part of an access person, or otherwise result
in an inappropriate advantage to the access person.
ITEM 12 – BROKERAGE PRACTICES
12. A. Selection of Broker/Dealers
Arjuna Capital generally recommends that clients utilize the brokerage and clearing
services of Charles Schwab & Co. (“Schwab”). Schwab allows for Arjuna Capital to transact
in securities at a negotiated rate. The commissions and/or transaction fees charged by
Schwab may be higher or lower than those charged by other broker-dealers.
In recommending Schwab, or any other broker-dealer to its clients, Arjuna Capital will
consider their respective financial strength, reputation, execution, pricing, research and
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service in addition to the best net price, giving effect to brokerage commissions, spreads
and other costs. Arjuna Capital may also apply a number of other judgmental factors
deemed relevant. In applying these factors, Arjuna Capital recognizes that different
broker-dealers may have different execution capabilities with respect to different types
of securities. The factors include, but are not limited to:
• Arjuna Capital’s knowledge of negotiated commission rates and spreads currently
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available;
the nature of the security being traded;
the size and type of the transaction;
the nature and character of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold;
the desired timing of the trade and speed of execution;
the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security;
the broker-dealer’s access to primary markets and quotation sources;
the ability of the broker-dealer to effect transactions when a large block of
securities is involved or where liquidity is limited;
• confidentiality;
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the execution, clearance and settlement capabilities and history as well as the
reputation;
• Adviser’s knowledge of actual or apparent operational problems of any broker-
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dealer;
the broker-dealer’s execution services rendered on a continuing basis and in other
transactions;
the broker-dealer’s access to underwriting offerings and secondary markets;
the broker-dealer’s reliability in executing trades, keeping records and accounting
for and correcting trade errors;
the broker-dealer’s ability to accommodate Arjuna Capital’s needs with respect to
one or more trades including willingness and ability to maintain quality execution
in unusual or volatile market conditions and to commit capital by taking positions
in order to complete trades;
the quality of communication links between Arjuna Capital and the broker-dealer;
and
the reasonableness of spreads or commissions.
•
Arjuna Capital may pay more than the lowest commission rate available to brokers whose
proprietary research, services, execution abilities, or other legitimate and appropriate
services are particularly helpful in Arjuna Capital’s investment decision making process.
As part of this determination, Arjuna Capital recognizes that some brokerage firms are
better at executing some types of orders than others. Therefore, it may be in the best
interest of the client to utilize a broker whose commission rates are not the lowest, but
whose executions result in lower overall transaction costs. Arjuna Capital may engage in
commission-sharing arrangements to seek best execution and combine commissions in
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order to obtain research and other services that are eligible to be paid by commissions
under Section 28(e) safe harbor. These other products and services may benefit Arjuna
Capital but may not benefit its clients' accounts.
Arjuna Capital receives from broker-dealers certain research products or services that it
also uses for business purposes unrelated to research - so-called “mixed use” products or
services. For example, certain services are provided as a part of a product that bundles
many separate and distinct brokerage, execution, investment management, custodial and
recordkeeping services into one package. The acquisition of mixed use products and
services causes a conflict of interest for Arjuna Capital, in that clients pay for this type of
research product or service while the product or service also directly benefits Arjuna
Capital. For this reason, and in accordance with general Securities and Exchange
Commission guidance, Arjuna Capital will make a good faith effort to determine what
percentage of the product or service is used for non-brokerage and research purposes
and will pay cash (“hard dollars”) for such percentage of the total cost of any such product
or service. To ensure that its practices are consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities to
its clients, and to address the conflict of interest inherent in mixed use products and
services, the CCO determines whether mixed use items may be acquired and, if so, what
the appropriate allocation is between soft dollar and hard dollar payments for such
products and services. These determinations represent a conflict of interest, as Arjuna
Capital has a financial incentive to allocate a greater proportion of the cost of mixed use
products to soft dollars. The overriding consideration in selecting brokers for executing
portfolio orders is the maximization of client returns through a combination of controlling
transaction and securities costs and seeking the most effective uses of brokers’ research
and execution capabilities.
The research products and services that Arjuna Capital receives from broker-dealers
supplement Arjuna Capital’s own research activities. As a practical matter, in some cases
Arjuna Capital could not, on its own, generate all the research that broker-dealers provide
without materially increasing expenses. Soft dollar arrangements create a potential
conflict by possibly giving an investment adviser an incentive to trade frequently to
generate commissions to pay for these products or services, which may not be in the best
interests of an adviser’s clients, or, in some cases, to trade actively in certain accounts to
obtain research used primarily by other, less frequently traded accounts. Arjuna Capital
attempts to mitigate these potential conflicts through oversight of the use of commissions
by the CCO.
Clients may select a broker/dealer or account custodian different from one recommended
by Arjuna Capital and direct Arjuna Capital to use that broker/dealer or custodian to
maintain custody of their assets. Arjuna Capital has discretion to reject the client’s
request for directed brokerage. When a client directs the use of a particular
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broker/dealer or other custodian, Arjuna Capital may not be able to obtain the best price
and execution for the transaction. Clients who direct the use of a particular broker/dealer
or custodian may receive less favorable prices than would otherwise be the case if clients
had not designated a particular broker/dealer or custodian. Further, directed trades may
be placed by Arjuna Capital after effecting non-directed trades.
12.B. Aggregation of Orders
In making investment decisions for the client accounts, securities considered for
investment by one account may also be appropriate for another account managed by
Arjuna Capital. On occasions when the purchase or sale of a security is deemed to be in
the best interest of more than one client account, Arjuna Capital may, but is not required
to, aggregate trade orders for the purchase or sale of securities for these accounts to the
extent consistent with best execution and the terms of the clients’ investment advisory
agreements. Such combined or blocked trades may be used to facilitate best execution,
including negotiating more favorable prices, obtaining more timely or equitable execution
or reducing overall commission charges.
Aggregation of transactions will occur only when Arjuna Capital believes that such
aggregation is consistent with Arjuna Capital’s duty to seek best execution and best price
for clients and is consistent with Arjuna Capital’s investment advisory agreement with
each client for which trades are being aggregated. Client accounts with certain
restrictions and directed brokerage clients may be unable to participate in aggregated
transactions.
Arjuna Capital generally will not aggregate trades for clients that may have limited Arjuna
Capital’s brokerage discretion or other client accounts that it manages to the extent that
those clients have directed their trading to a particular broker-dealer. Orders for such
clients will generally be aggregated only with similar clients and allocated in the same
manner as described above. The same process described above will be implemented for
these accounts if random allocation would result in a partial fill for the last account
selected.
Arjuna Capital may include proprietary accounts (including the Private Funds in which
Arjuna Capital or its affiliates have significant ownership interests, if any) in such
aggregate trades subject to its duty of seeking best execution and to its Code of Ethics.
ITEM 13 – REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
13.A. Frequency and Nature of Review
Farnum Brown, Jr. and Natasha Lamb are responsible and have ultimate authority for all
trading and investment decisions made on behalf of client accounts. At least quarterly,
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client portfolios are reviewed by Mr. Brown and Mrs. Lamb or other senior portfolio
managers to ensure compliance with client objectives and restrictions as stated in the
client’s account paperwork.
13.B. Factors That May Trigger an Account Review Outside of Regular Review
Generally, client accounts are reviewed as needed depending on factors such as cash
flows in or out of the account, changes in client objectives or restrictions, and changing
market conditions.
13.C. Content and Frequency of Reports
For separately managed accounts, clients should receive an account statement at least
quarterly from the custodian maintaining their account. In addition, Arjuna Capital
prepares quarterly reports with a cover letter for clients. These reports generally include
a summary of assets and account valuation.
ITEM 14 – CLIENT REFERRALS AND OTHER COMPENSATION
Arjuna Capital may have referral arrangements with
individuals who may be
compensated, directly or indirectly, in compliance with applicable law. This presents a
potential conflict of interest since solicitors have an incentive to recommend Arjuna
Capital because they are being compensated by Arjuna Capital. To mitigate this risk, fee
sharing arrangements will be disclosed to clients, and such clients will not bear any higher
fees regardless of whether Arjuna Capital pays a referral fee.
ITEM 15 – CUSTODY
Clients should receive at least quarterly statements from the broker-dealer, bank or other
qualified custodian that holds and maintains client’s investment assets. Arjuna Capital
takes steps to ensure that the client’s qualified custodian sends periodic account
statements to the client, no less frequently than quarterly, showing all transactions in the
account, including fees paid to Arjuna Capital.
Arjuna Capital urges clients to carefully review and compare official custodial records to
the account statements that Arjuna Capital provides. Arjuna Capital statements may vary
slightly from custodial statements based on accounting procedures, reporting dates,
and/or valuation methodologies of certain securities.
ITEM 16 – INVESTMENT DISCRETION
Arjuna Capital is generally authorized to make the following decisions according to the
specified investment objectives:
the broker or dealer through whom securities are bought or sold;
• which securities to buy or sell;
•
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the total amount of securities to buy or sell; and the prices at which securities are
to be bought or sold, which may include dealer spreads or mark-ups and
transaction costs.
ITEM 17 – VOTING CLIENT SECURITIES
Arjuna Capital votes proxies on behalf of client accounts and has adopted Proxy Voting
Policies and Procedures. Where Arjuna Capital has proxy voting authority for securities
of its advisory clients, Arjuna Capital will vote such securities for the exclusive benefit, and
in the best economic interest, of those clients and their beneficiaries, as determined by
Arjuna Capital in good faith, subject to any restrictions or directions from the client.
Arjuna Capital will not have the ability to accept direction from clients on a particular
solicitation.
Arjuna Capital has written proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Procedures”) as
required by Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. Such voting responsibilities are
exercised in accordance with the general anti-fraud provisions of the Advisers Act, as well
as with Arjuna Capital’s fiduciary duties under federal and state law to act in the best
interests of its clients. Arjuna Capital will maintain voting records as well as any document
created by Arjuna Capital that was material in making a determination of how to vote a
case-by-case proxy or that memorializes the basis for that decision.
Arjuna Capital acknowledges its responsibility for identifying material conflicts of interest
related to voting proxies. In order to ensure that Arjuna Capital is aware of the facts
necessary to identify conflicts, senior management of Arjuna Capital must disclose to the
CCO any personal conflicts such as officer or director positions held by them, their spouses
or close relatives, in any portfolio company. Conflicts based on business relationships
with Arjuna Capital or any affiliate of Arjuna Capital will be considered only to the extent
that Arjuna Capital has actual knowledge of such relationships. If a conflict may exist
which cannot be otherwise addressed by the CIO or CCO, Arjuna Capital may choose one
of several options including: (1) “echo” or “mirror” voting the proxies in the same
proportion as the votes of other proxy holders that are not Arjuna Capital clients; (2) if
possible, erecting information barriers around the person or persons making the voting
decision sufficient to insulate the decision from the conflict; or (3) if agreed upon in
writing with the client, forwarding the proxies to affected clients and allowing them to
vote their own proxies.
Clients may choose to vote their own proxies for securities held in their account or
designate a third-party to vote proxies. If this is the case, the Client must notify Arjuna
Capital and proxy solicitations will be sent directly to clients or the third-party designee
who will then assume responsibility for voting them. If Arjuna Capital does not have the
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authority to vote proxies on behalf of the client, the client may contact Arjuna Capital
with questions about a particular solicitation.
Arjuna Capital will neither advise nor act on behalf of the client in legal proceedings
involving companies whose securities are held in the client’s account(s), including, but not
limited to, the filing of "Proofs of Claim" in class action settlements.
Clients may obtain information from Arjuna Capital about how their securities were voted
and obtain a copy of Arjuna Capital’s proxy voting policies and procedures upon request
by contacting us at (919) 794-4794.
ITEM 18 – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Arjuna Capital does not require prepayment of fees of both more than $1,200 per client
and more than six months in advance.
Arjuna Capital has no financial commitment that impairs its ability to meet contractual
and fiduciary commitments to clients and has not been the subject of any claim,
bankruptcy or other financially related proceeding.
Arjuna Capital has not been the subject of a bankruptcy petition.
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