TAX-FREE FUND OF COLORADO
SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made as of __________, 2009 by and between AQUILA
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC (the "Manager"), 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, and XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. (the
"Sub-Adviser"), 0000 Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000.
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, Tax-Free Fund of Colorado (the "Fund") is a Massachusetts
business trust which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the
"Act") as an open-end, non-diversified management investment company;
WHEREAS, the Manager has entered into an Advisory and Administration
Agreement as of the date hereof with the Fund (the "Advisory and Administration
Agreement") pursuant to which the Manager shall act as investment adviser with
respect to the Fund;
WHEREAS, pursuant to paragraph 2 of the Advisory and Administration
Agreement, the Manager wishes to retain the Sub-Adviser for purposes of
rendering investment advisory services to the Manager in connection with the
Fund upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements
herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which
is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. In General
The Manager hereby appoints the Sub-Adviser to render, to the Manager
and to the Fund, investment research and advisory services as set forth below
under the supervision of the Manager and subject to the approval and direction
of the Board of Trustees of the Fund. The Sub-Adviser shall, all as more fully
set forth herein, act as managerial investment adviser to the Fund with respect
to the investment of the Fund's assets, and supervise and arrange the purchase
of securities for and the sale of securities held in the portfolio of the Fund.
2. Duties and Obligations of the Sub-Adviser With Respect To Investment of the
Assets of the Fund
(a) Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section and subject to
the direction and control of the Manager and the Board of Trustees of the Fund,
the Sub-Adviser shall:
(i) supervise continuously the investment program of the Fund and the
composition of its portfolio;
(ii) determine what securities shall be purchased or sold by the Fund;
(iii) arrange for the purchase and the sale of securities held in the
portfolio of the Fund;
(iv) at its expense provide for pricing of the Fund's portfolio daily
using a pricing service or other source of pricing information
satisfactory to the Fund and, unless otherwise directed by the Board
of Trustees, provide for pricing of the Fund's portfolio at least
quarterly using another such source satisfactory to the Fund; and
(v) consult with the Manager in connection with its duties hereunder.
(b) Any investment program furnished by the Sub-Adviser under this
section shall at all times conform to, and be in accordance with, any
requirements imposed by: (1) the Act and any rules or regulations in force
thereunder; (2) any other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (3) the
Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Fund as amended from time to time; (4)
any policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Fund; and (5)
the fundamental policies of the Fund, as reflected in its Registration Statement
under the Act or as amended by the shareholders of the Fund.
(c) The Sub-Adviser shall give to the Manager and to the Fund the
benefit of its best judgment and effort in rendering services hereunder, but the
Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the adoption
of any investment policy or the purchase, sale or retention of any security,
whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon (i)
its own investigation and research or (ii) investigation and research made by
any other individual, firm or corporation, if such purchase, sale or retention
shall have been made and such other individual, firm or corporation shall have
been selected in good faith by the Sub-Adviser.
(d) Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Sub-Adviser or any
affiliated person (as defined in the Act) of the Sub-Adviser from acting as
investment adviser or manager for any other person, firm or corporation and
shall not in any way limit or restrict the Sub-Adviser or any such affiliated
person from buying, selling or trading any securities for its own or their own
accounts or for the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting,
provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser expressly represents that, while acting
as Sub-Adviser, it will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will
adversely affect the performance of its obligations to the Fund under this
Agreement.
(e) In connection with its duties to arrange for the purchase and sale
of the Fund's portfolio securities, the Sub-Adviser shall select such
broker-dealers ("dealers") as shall, in the Sub-Adviser's judgment, implement
the policy of the Fund to achieve "best execution," i.e., prompt, efficient, and
reliable execution of orders at the most favorable net price. The Sub-Adviser
shall cause the Fund to deal directly with the selling or purchasing principal
or market maker without incurring brokerage commissions unless the Sub-Adviser
determines that better price or execution may be obtained by paying such
commissions; the Fund expects that most transactions will be principal
transactions at net prices and that the Fund will incur little or no brokerage
costs. The Fund understands that purchases from underwriters include a
commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and that
principal transactions placed through dealers include a spread between the bid
and asked prices. In allocating transactions to dealers, the Sub-Adviser is
authorized to consider, in determining whether a particular dealer will provide
best execution, the dealer's reliability, integrity, financial condition and
risk in positioning the securities involved, as well as the difficulty of the
transaction in question, and thus need not pay the lowest spread or commission
available if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that the amount of
commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research
services provided by the dealer, viewed either in terms of the particular
transaction or the Sub-Adviser's overall responsibilities. If, on the foregoing
basis, the transaction in question could be allocated to two or more dealers,
the Sub-Adviser is authorized, in making such allocation, to consider whether a
dealer has provided research services, as further discussed below. Such research
may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may
include quotations on portfolio securities and information on particular issuers
and industries, as well as on market, economic, or institutional activities. The
Fund recognizes that no dollar value can be placed on such research services or
on execution services and that such research services may or may not be useful
to the Fund and may be used for the benefit of the Sub-Adviser or its other
clients.
(f) The Sub-Adviser agrees to maintain, and to preserve for the periods
prescribed, such books and records with respect to the portfolio transactions of
the Fund as are required by applicable law and regulation, and agrees that all
records which it maintains for the Fund on behalf of the Manager shall be the
property of the Fund and shall be surrendered promptly to the Fund or the
Manager upon request.
(g) The Sub-Adviser agrees to furnish to the Manager and to the Board
of Trustees of the Fund such periodic and special reports as each may reasonably
request.
(h) It is agreed that the Sub-Adviser shall have no responsibility or
liability for the accuracy or completeness of the Fund's Registration Statement
under the Act and the Securities Act of 1933, except for information supplied by
the Sub-Adviser for inclusion therein. The Sub-Adviser shall promptly inform the
Fund as to any information concerning the Sub-Adviser appropriate for inclusion
in such Registration Statement, or as to any transaction or proposed transaction
which might result in an assignment (as defined in the Act) of this Agreement.
(i) The Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for any error in judgment or
for any loss suffered by the Fund or its security holders in connection with the
matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from wilful
misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its
duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this
Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall, or shall be construed to, waive or
limit any rights which the Fund may have under federal and state securities laws
which may impose liability under certain circumstances on persons who act in
good faith.
(j) To the extent that the Manager is indemnified under the Fund's
Declaration of Trust with respect to the services provided hereunder by the
Sub-Adviser, the Manager agrees to provide the Sub-Adviser the benefits of such
indemnification.
3. Allocation of Expenses
The Sub-Adviser shall bear all of the expenses it incurs in fulfilling
its obligations under this Agreement. In particular, but without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser shall furnish, at the Sub-Adviser's
expense, all office space, facilities, equipment and clerical personnel
necessary for carrying out its duties under this Agreement. The Sub-Adviser
shall supply, or cause to be supplied, to any investment adviser, administrator
or principal underwriter of the Fund all necessary financial information in
connection with such adviser's, administrator's or principal underwriter's
duties under any agreement between such adviser, administrator or principal
underwriter and the Fund. The Sub-Adviser will also pay all compensation of the
Fund's officers, employees, and Trustees, if any, who are affiliated persons of
the Sub-Adviser.
4. Compensation of the Sub-Adviser
The Manager agrees to pay the Sub-Adviser, and the Sub-Adviser agrees
to accept as full compensation for all services rendered by the Sub-Adviser as
such, a management fee payable monthly and computed on the net asset value of
the Fund as of the close of business each business day at the annual rate of
0.20 of 1% of such net asset value.
5. Duration and Termination
(a) This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written
above following approval by the shareholders of the Fund and shall, unless
terminated as hereinafter provided, continue in effect until the April 30 next
preceding the first anniversary of the effective date of this Agreement, and
from year to year thereafter, but only so long as such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually (1) by a vote of the Fund's Board of
Trustees, including a vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to
this Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined in the Act) of any such
party, with votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting
on such approval, or (2) by a vote of the holders of a "majority" (as so
defined) of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and by such a vote of
the Trustees.
(b) This Agreement may be terminated by the Sub-Adviser at any time
without penalty upon giving the Manager and the Fund sixty days' written notice
(which notice may be waived). This Agreement may be terminated by the Manager or
the Fund at any time without penalty upon giving the Sub-Adviser sixty days'
written notice (which notice may be waived by the Sub-Adviser), provided that
such termination by the Fund shall be directed or approved by a vote of a
majority of its Trustees in office at the time or by a vote of the holders of a
majority (as defined in the Act) of the voting securities of the Fund
outstanding and entitled to vote. This Agreement shall automatically terminate
in the event of its assignment (as defined in the Act) or the termination of the
Advisory and Administration Agreement.
6. Additional Undertakings of Sub-Adviser
(a) The Sub-Adviser, under the supervision of the Manager, shall
provide at its expense portfolio management particularly qualified to manage
investments in which the Fund primarily invests, and such portfolio management
personnel shall be principally located in the state of issuers of such
investments. Such portfolio management personnel shall consist upon the
effectiveness of this Agreement of the portfolio manager and the credit
committee listed on Appendix A attached hereto. The Sub-Adviser shall assure
that the portfolio manager and credit committee shall be provided with
appropriate resources for the performance of their functions hereunder. For at
least three years after the Assignment, any change of personnel, and any change
of arrangements materially adversely affecting the provision of portfolio
management services hereunder, shall be reported immediately to the Manager and,
unless beyond the control of the Sub-Adviser, shall be permissible only if
acceptable to the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
(b) For at least five years after April 1, 2005,the Assignment, the
business name of the Sub-Adviser shall include the words "Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,"
all material referring to the Sub-Adviser in connection with the Fund shall
include that name, and the Davidson Companies shall cause all investment
advisory services performed on behalf of the Fund to be provided in association
with that name.
(c) For the duration of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall not cause
or permit any Advised Investment Company, as hereafter defined, to offer or sell
its shares directly to retail customers, but shall restrict such offers or sales
to institutions acting for investors in a fiduciary, advisory, agency, custodial
or similar capacity. An Advised Investment Company is an investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which (i) is provided with
portfolio management by the Sub-Adviser or any affiliate thereof; and (ii)
invests in municipal securities issued by the State of Colorado or its political
subdivisions.
7. Notices of Meetings
The Manager agrees that notice of each meeting of the Board of Trustees
of the Fund will be sent to the Sub-Adviser and that Sub-Adviser will make
appropriate arrangements for the attendance (as persons present by invitation)
of such person or persons as the Sub-Adviser may designate.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing
instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers and their seals to
be hereunto affixed, all as of the day and year first above written.
ATTEST: AQUILA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC
___________________ By:_______________________________
ATTEST: XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT, INC.
___________________ By:_______________________________
Appendix A
Portfolio Manager:
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Credit Committee:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxx X. Xxxxxx
L. Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
