SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☒ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
☐ Preliminary Proxy Statement
☐ Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
☒ Definitive Proxy Statement
☐ Definitive Additional Materials
☐ Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12
☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
☐ | Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |
☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
☐ | Definitive Additional Materials | |
☐ | Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12 |
Cohen & Steers Closed-End Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Limited Duration Preferred and Income Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred and Income Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Select Preferred and Income Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Total Return Realty Fund, Inc.
Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund
Cohen & Steers Real Estate Opportunities and Income Fund
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):
☒ No fee required
☒ | No fee required | |||
☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials | |||
☐ | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11 |
☐ Fee paid previously with preliminary materials
☐ Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11
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COHEN & STEERS CLOSED-END OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS INFRASTRUCTURE FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS QUALITY INCOME REALTY FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS REIT AND PREFERRED AND INCOME FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS SELECT PREFERRED AND INCOME FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS TOTAL RETURN REALTY FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS LIMITED DURATION PREFERRED AND INCOME FUND, INC.
COHEN & STEERS TAX-ADVANTAGED PREFERRED SECURITIES AND INCOME FUND
COHEN & STEERS REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES AND INCOME FUND
(each a “Fund”, and collectively, the “Funds”)
280 Park1166 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, New York 1001710036
(212) 832-3232
NOTICE OF JOINT ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On April 26, 202325, 2024
To the Stockholders of the above-listed Funds:
NOTICE NOTICEIS HEREBY GIVEN HEREBY GIVEN that the Joint Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Meeting”) of the Funds, each of which is a Maryland corporation, except Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund and Cohen & Steers Real Estate Opportunities and Income Fund, each of which is a Maryland statutory trust, will be held at the offices of the Funds, 280 Park1166 Avenue 10thof the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10017,10036, on April 26, 202325, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The Trustees and shareholders of each of Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund and Cohen & Steers Real Estate Opportunities and Income Fund are referred to herein as “Directors” and “stockholders”, respectively.
In order to attend the Meeting in person, stockholders must bring valid photo identification and, if you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, a “legal proxy,” which can be obtained from your broker, bank or other nominee. We note that obtaining a legal proxy from the applicable nominee/record holder may take several days. The solicitation will be by mail and the cost (including printing and mailing this Combined Proxy Statement, Notice of Meeting and Proxy Card, as well as any necessary supplementary solicitation) will be borne by each Fund. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, each Fund’s officers or representatives of the Funds’ investment manager may solicit proxies by telephone. The Notice of Meeting, Combined Proxy Statement and Proxy Card are being mailed to stockholders on or about March 14, 2023.2024.
The matters to be presented at the Meeting, all of which are more fully described in the accompanying Combined Proxy Statement dated March 6, 2023,2024, are:
1. | To consider and vote upon the election of three Directors of each Fund to hold office for a term ending at the |
2. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. |
The Boards of Directors of the Funds, as applicable, have fixed the close of business on February 15, 20232024 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. The enclosed proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Boards of Directors.
By order of the Boards of Directors of the Funds, |
Dana A. DeVivo |
Secretary |
New York, New York
March 6, 20232024
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT
We invite you to utilize the convenience of Internet proxy authorization at the site indicated on the enclosed Proxy Card. While at that site you will be able to enroll in our electronic delivery program which will ensure that you receive future mailings relating to annual meetings of the Fund(s) as quickly as possible and will help the Fund(s) save costs. Or you may indicate your voting instructions by telephone, Internet or on the enclosed Proxy Card, sign and date it, and return it in the envelope provided, which needs no postage if mailed in the United States. In order to save the Fund(s) any additional expense of further solicitation, please authorize your proxy promptly.
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
Stockholder Meeting to
Be Held on April 26, 2023.25, 2024.
This notice, the Combined Proxy Statement and the Proxy Card for each Fund are available at www.proxyvote.com
COMBINED PROXY STATEMENT
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Submission of Proposals for the Next Annual Meeting of Stockholders | 26 | |||
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COMBINED PROXY STATEMENT
COHEN & STEERS CLOSED-END OPPORTUNITY FUND, INC. (“FOF”)
COHEN & STEERS INFRASTRUCTURE FUND, INC. (“UTF”)
COHEN & STEERS LIMITED DURATION PREFERRED AND
INCOME FUND, INC. (“LDP”)
COHEN & STEERS QUALITY INCOME REALTY FUND, INC. (“RQI”)
COHEN & STEERS REIT AND PREFERRED AND
INCOME FUND, INC. (“RNP”)
COHEN & STEERS SELECT PREFERRED AND
INCOME FUND, INC. (“PSF”)
COHEN & STEERS TOTAL RETURN REALTY FUND, INC. (“RFI”)
COHEN & STEERS TAX-ADVANTAGED PREFERRED SECURITIES AND INCOME FUND (“PTA”)
COHEN & STEERS REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES AND
INCOME FUND (“RLTY”)
280 Park1166 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor
New York, New York 1001710036
(212) 832-3232
JOINT ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On April 26, 202325, 2024
This Combined Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Boards of Directors, or, in the case of PTA and RLTY, the Board of Trustees (collectively, the “Boards”), of the above listed entities, each a Maryland corporation except PTA and RLTY, each of which is a Maryland statutory trust (each a “Fund”, and collectively, the “Funds”), to be exercised at the Joint Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Funds, to be held at the offices of the Funds, 280 Park1166 Avenue 10thof the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10017,10036, on April 26, 202325, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time), and at any postponements or adjournments thereof (collectively, the “Meeting”). The Trustees and shareholders of PTA and RLTY are referred to herein as “Directors” and “stockholders”, respectively, and such Funds’ common shares of beneficial interest are referred to herein as “common stock”.
In order to attend the Meeting in person, stockholders must bring valid photo identification and, if you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, a “legal proxy,” which can be obtained from your broker, bank or other nominee. We note that obtaining a legal proxy from the applicable nominee/record holder may take several days. The solicitation will be by mail and the cost (including printing and mailing this Combined Proxy Statement, Notice of Meeting and Proxy Card, as well as any necessary supplementary solicitation) will be borne by each Fund. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, each Fund’s officers or representatives of the Funds’
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investment manager may solicit proxies by telephone. The Notice of Meeting,
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Combined Proxy Statement and Proxy Card are being mailed to stockholders on or about March 14, 2023.2024.
In accordance with each Fund’s bylaws, the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of record of a majority of the shares of each Fund issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum for such Fund at the Meeting. If, however, a quorum shall not be present or represented at the Meeting or if fewer shares are present in person or by proxy than is the minimum required to take action with respect to any proposal properly presented at the Meeting, the chair of the Meeting or the holders of a majority of the shares of each Fund present in person or by proxy (or a majority of votes cast if a quorum is present) shall have the power to adjourn the Meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the Meeting, until the requisite number of shares entitled to vote at the Meeting shall be present, to a date not more than 120 days after the record date. At any adjourned Meeting, if the relevant quorum is subsequently constituted, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the Meeting as originally called. For purposes of determining the presence of a quorum for transacting business at the Meeting, abstentions and broker “non-votes” (that is, proxies from brokers or nominees indicating that they have not received instructions from the beneficial owner or other persons entitled to vote shares on a particular matter with respect to which the brokers or nominees do not have discretionary voting power), if any, will be treated as shares that are present but which have not been voted. The election of each nominee requires a plurality of the votes cast at the Meeting, assuming a quorum is present. Abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will count towards the presence of a quorum but otherwise will have no effect on the election of any of the nominees for Director.
Although each Fund is a separate investment company that holds an annual meeting of stockholders, the Funds’ proxy statements have been combined into this Combined Proxy Statement to reduce expenses to the Funds of soliciting proxies for the Meeting.
The Boards have fixed the close of business on February 15, 20232024 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting. The outstanding voting shares of each Fund as of the close of business on February 15, 20232024 consisted of:
Fund | Shares of Common Stock | |||
FOF | ||||
RQI | 134,431,441.0369 | |||
RNP | ||||
UTF | ||||
RFI | ||||
PSF |
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LDP | 29,079,221.0000 | |||
PTA | 55,273,457.0000 | |||
RLTY |
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Each share is entitled to one vote and each fractional share is entitled to a proportional fractional vote. All properly authorized proxies received prior to the Meeting will be exercised at the Meeting in accordance with the instructions marked thereon or as otherwise provided therein and in the discretion of the proxy holder on any other matter that is properly brought before the Meeting, or any postponement or adjournment thereof. Accordingly, unless instructions to the contrary are provided, properly authorized proxies will be voted FOR the election of each of the nominees for Director. Any stockholder may revoke his or her proxy at any time prior to exercise thereof by giving written notice to the Secretary of the Fund(s) at its offices at 280 Park1166 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10017,10036, or by authorizing another proxy of a later date or by personally casting his or her vote at the Meeting. Attendance at the Meeting without voting will not be sufficient to revoke a previously authorized proxy. Stockholders can vote only on matters affecting the Fund(s) in which they hold a share as of the close of business on the record date. Because the proposals in the Notice of Joint Annual Meeting of Stockholders are separate for each Fund, it is essential that stockholders who own shares in multiple Funds complete, date, sign and return (or authorize their proxy by telephone or internet in respect of) each Proxy Card they receive.
The solicitation will be primarily by mail, and the cost of soliciting proxies for each Fund will be borne by such Fund. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, each Fund’s officers or representatives of the Funds’ investment manager may solicit proxies by telephone. In addition, the Funds have engaged Broadridge to assist in the solicitation of proxies for an aggregate fee of approximately $393,000,$376,572, which includes processing, tabulation and mailing, and stockholder meeting fees, although the actual costs of the solicitation may be higher. Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation will be borne by the Fund incurring such expenses.
The most recent annual report of each Fund, including financial statements, has been previously mailed to that Fund’s stockholders. If you have not received a report for any of the Funds in which you own shares or would like to receive an additional copy free of charge, please contact Dana A. DeVivo, Secretary of the Funds, at 280 Park1166 Avenue of the Americas, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10017,10036, (800) 330-7348, and it will be sent promptly by first-class mail.
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ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
For each Fund, three individuals are nominated to be elected at the Meeting to serve as Directors (each a “Director”, and collectively, the “Directors”) for their respective terms and until their successors are duly elected and qualify. The nominees for Director are Michael Clark, Dean A. JunkansGeorge Grossman, Jane F. Magpiong and Ramona Rogers-Windsor,Adam M. Derechin, with each to hold office for a term to expire at the 20262027 annual meeting of stockholders, and until their successors areeach Director’s successor is duly elected and qualify.qualifies. It is the intention of the
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persons named in the enclosed proxy to vote in favor of each of the nominees. At the Meeting, the holders of each Fund’s common stock will have equal voting rights (i.e., one vote per share), and will vote as a single class on the election of Messrs. ClarkGrossman and JunkansDerechin and Ms. Rogers-Windsor.Magpiong. Each of Messrs. ClarkGrossman and JunkansDerechin and Ms. Rogers-WindsorMagpiong currently serves as a Director of each of the twenty-one funds within the group of funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), that are managed by Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc. (the “Cohen & Steers Fund Complex”).
Each Fund’s stockholders, with the exception of PTA and RLTY, initially elected their Board to staggered terms at the respective Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on:
Funds | Date of stockholder meeting electing Board of Directors to staggered terms | |||
FOF | April 19, 2007 | |||
RQI | April 24, 2003 | |||
RNP | April 29, 2004 | |||
RFI | April 27, 1994 | |||
UTF | April 28, 2005 | |||
PSF | April 28, 2011 | |||
LDP | April 25, 2013 |
Under their respective Amended and Restated Declarations of Trust, the Trustees of each of RLTY and PTA (referred to herein as “Directors” as noted above) were divided into three classes, having staggered terms, commencing on the first date in which the Fund had more than one shareholder (referred to herein as a “stockholder” as noted above) of record, which was October 28, 2020 for PTA and February 24, 2022 for RLTY.
Accordingly, the term of office of only a single class of Directors for each Fund will expire at the Meeting. As a result of this system, only those Directors in any one class may be changed in any one year, and it would require two years or more to change a majority of a Fund’s Board. This system of electing Directors, which may be regarded as an “anti-takeover” provision, may have the effect of limiting the ability to
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change the composition of a Fund’s Board and, thus, make it more difficult for each Fund’s stockholders to change a majority of the Directors.
Each Fund’s Board of Directors, as applicable, including the Independent Directors then serving, unanimously voted to nominate each of the nominees. Each of the nominees has consented to continue serving as a Director. If a nominee becomes unable or, in the determination of the Boards, would be unable to serve, the proxies received will be voted FOR such substitute nominee, if any, as the applicable Fund’s Boards may recommend.
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Directors of the Funds, together with information as to their positions with the Funds, principal occupations and other board memberships and affiliations for at least the past five years, are shown below.
Name, Address and | Position Held with Funds | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of Time Served2 | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Independent Directors 4 | ||||||||||||||||
Michael G. Clark | 1965 | Director, Lead Independent Director | CFA, President and Chief Executive Officer of DWS Funds and Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management from 2006 to 2011. | Since 2011 | 2026 | 5 | 21 | |||||||||
George Grossman | 1953 | Director | Attorney-at-Law. | Since 1993 | 2024 | 21 | ||||||||||
Dean A. Junkans | 1959 | Director | CFA; Advisor to SigFig (a registered investment advisor) since July, 2018; Chief Investment Officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank from 2004 to 2014 and Chief Investment Officer of the Wealth, Brokerage and Retirement group at Wells Fargo & Company from 2011 to 2014; former member and Chair, Claritas Advisory Committee at the CFA Institute from 2013 to 2015; former Adjunct Professor and Executive-In-Residence, Bethel University, 2015 to 2022; former Board Member and Investment | Since 2015 | 2026 | 5 | 21 |
Name, Address and | Position | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Independent Directors4 | ||||||||||||||||
Michael G. Clark | 1965 | Director, Lead Independent Director | CFA, President and Chief Executive Officer of DWS Funds and Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management from 2006 to 2011. | Since 2011 | 2026 | 20 | ||||||||||
George Grossman | 1953 | Director | Attorney-at-Law. | Since 1993 | 20275 | 20 | ||||||||||
Dean A. Junkans | 1959 | Director | CFA; Advisor to SigFig (a registered investment advisor) from July 2018 to July 2022; Chief Investment Officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank from 2004 to 2014 and Chief Investment Officer of the Wealth, Brokerage and Retirement group at Wells Fargo & Company from 2011 to 2014; former Member and Chair, Claritas Advisory Committee at the CFA Institute from 2013 to 2015; former Adjunct Professor and Executive-In-Residence, Bethel University, 2015 to 2022; former Board Member and Investment Committee member, Bethel University Foundation, 2010 to 2022; former Corporate Executive Board Member of the National Chief Investment Officers Circle, 2010 to 2015; former Member of the Board of Governors of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, River Falls, 1996 to 2004; U.S. Army Veteran, Gulf War. | Since 2015 | 2026 | 20 |
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Name, Address and | Position Held with Funds | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of Time Served2 | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Committee member, Bethel University Foundation, 2010 to 2022; formerly, Corporate Executive Board Member of the National Chief Investment Officers Circle, 2010 to 2015; formerly, Member of the Board of Governors of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, River Falls, 1996 to 2004; U.S. Army Veteran, Gulf War. | ||||||||||||||||
Gerald J. Maginnis | 1955 | Director | Philadelphia Office Managing Partner, KPMG LLP from 2006 to 2015; Partner in Charge, KPMG Pennsylvania Audit Practice from 2002 to 2008; President, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) from 2014 to 2015; Member, PICPA Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016; Member, Council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) from 2013 to 2017; Member, Board of Trustees of AICPA Foundation from 2015 to 2020; Board member and Audit Committee Chairman of inTEST Corporation since 2020; Chairman of the Advisory Board of Centri Consulting LLC since 2022. | Since 2015 | 2025 | 21 | ||||||||||
Jane F. Magpiong | 1960 | Director | President, Untap Potential since 2013; Senior Managing Director, TIAA-CREF, from 2011 to 2013; National Head of Wealth Management, TIAA-CREF, from 2008 to 2011; President, Bank of America | Since 2015 | 2024 | 21 |
Name, Address and | Position | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Gerald J. Maginnis | 1955 | Director | Philadelphia Office Managing Partner, KPMG LLP from 2006 to 2015; Partner in Charge, KPMG Pennsylvania Audit Practice from 2002 to 2008; President, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) from 2014 to 2015; Member, PICPA Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016; Member, Council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) from 2013 to 2017; Member, Board of Trustees of AICPA Foundation from 2015 to 2020; Board member and Audit Committee Chairman of inTEST Corporation since 2020; Chairman of the Advisory Board of Centri Consulting LLC since 2022. | Since 2015 | 2025 | 20 | ||||||||||
Jane F. Magpiong | 1960 | Director | President, Untap Potential since 2013; Senior Managing Director, TIAA-CREF, from 2011 to 2013; National Head of Wealth Management, TIAA-CREF, from 2008 to 2011; President, Bank of America Private Bank from 2005 to 2008; Executive Vice President, Fleet Private Clients Group from 2003 to 2004. | Since 2015 | 2027 | 5 | 20 |
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Name, Address and | Position Held with Funds | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of Time Served2 | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Private Bank from 2005 to 2008; Executive Vice President, Fleet Private Clients Group from 2003-2004. | ||||||||||||||||
Daphne L. Richards | 1966 | Director | President and CIO of Ledge Harbor Management since 2016; Investment Committee Member of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation since 2015 and Member of the Advisory Board of Northeast Dutchess Fund since 2016; former Independent Director of Cartica Management, LLC, 2015 to 2022; formerly worked at Bessemer Trust Company from 1999 to 2014; Frank Russell Company from 1996 to 1999, Union Bank of Switzerland from 1993 to 1996, Credit Suisse from 1990 to 1993 and Hambros International Venture Capital Fund from 1988 to 1989. | Since 2017 | 2025 | 21 | ||||||||||
Ramona Rogers-Windsor | 1960 | Director | CFA; Member, Capital Southwest Board of Directors since 2021; Member, Thomas Jefferson University Board of Trustees since 2020; Managing Director, Public Investments Department, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, LLC from 2012 to 2019; Member, Milwaukee Film, LLC Board of Directors from 2016 to 2019. | Since 2021 | 2026 | 5 | 21 |
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Name, Address and | Position Held with Funds | Principal Occupation(s) | Length of Time Served2 | Term of Office3 | Number of Funds Within Fund Complex Overseen by Director (Including the Funds) | |||||||||||
Interested Directors6 | ||||||||||||||||
Joseph M. Harvey | 1963 | Director, Chair | Chief Executive Officer of the Advisor and CNS since 2022. President of the Advisor since 2003 and CNS since 2004. Chief Investment Officer of CSCM from 2003 to 2019. Prior to that, Senior Vice President and Director of Investment Research of CSCM. | Since 2014 | 2025 | 21 | ||||||||||
Adam M. Derechin | 1964 | Director | Chief Operating Officer of CSCM since 2003 and CNS since 2004. President and Chief Executive Officer of the Funds from 2005 to 2021. | Since 2021 | 2024 | 21 |
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Additional information about each Independent Director follows (supplementing the information provided in the table above) that describes some of the specific
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experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills that he or she possesses which the Boards believe has prepared him or her to be an effective Director.
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The Boards believe that the significance of each Director’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills is an individual matter (meaning that experience that is important for one Director may not have the same value for another) and that these factors are best evaluated at the board level, with no single Director, or particular factor, being indicative of board effectiveness. However, the Boards believe that each Director needs to have the ability to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Fund management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of his or her duties; the Boards believe that each of their members satisfies this standard. Experience relevant to having these abilities may be achieved through a Director’s educational background; business, professional training or practice (e.g., accountancy or law), public service or academic positions; experience from service as a board member (including the Boards of the Funds) or as an executive of investment funds, public companies or significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. The charter for each Board’s Nominating Committee contains certain other specific requirements and factors considered by the Committee in identifying and selecting Director candidates (please see below for a discussion of certain other requirements and factors).
To assist them in evaluating matters under federal and state law, the Directors are counseled by their own independent legal counsel, who participates in Board meetings and interacts with the Advisor, and also may benefit from information provided by the Funds’ and the Advisor’s counsel; both Board and Fund counsel have significant experience advising funds and fund boards. Each Board and its committees have the power to engage other experts as appropriate. Each Board evaluates its performance on an annual basis.
Board Composition and Leadership Structure. The Act requires that at least 40% of a Fund’s Directors be Independent Directors and, as such, not affiliated with the Advisor. To rely on certain exemptive rules under the Act, a majority of a Fund’s Directors must be Independent Directors, and for certain important matters, such as the approval of investment advisory agreements or certain transactions with affiliates, the Act or the rules thereunder require the approval of a majority of the Independent Directors. Currently, over 75% of each Fund’s Directors are Independent Directors. The Chair of each of the Boards is an interested person of the Funds, and the Independent Directors have designated a lead Independent Director who chairs meetings or executive sessions of the Independent Directors, reviews and comments on Board meeting agendas, represents the views of the Independent Directors to management and facilitates communication among the Independent Directors and their counsel. Each Board has determined that its leadership structure, in which the Independent Directors have designated Michael G. Clark as lead Independent Director to function as described above, is appropriate in light of the services that the Advisor and its affiliates provide and potential conflicts of interest that could arise from these relationships.
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During each Fund’s most recent fiscal year (ended October 31, 2022 for PTA and December 31, 2022 for all other Funds), each Board met the number of times indicated in the table below.
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Each Director then in office attended at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Boards and the Committees of which he or she was a member during the period in which he or she was a member. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, a number of the Funds’ Board meetings were held by teleconference or video conference. The Funds do not have policies with regard to the Directors’ attendance at annual stockholder meetings and none of the Directors attended any Fund’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders. Each Fund maintains five standing Board Committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Contract Review Committee, the Governance Committee and the Dividend Committee (each, a “Committee” and collectively, the “Committees”). The Directors serving on each Committee are all Independent Directors, and otherwise satisfy the applicable standards for independence of a committee member of an investment company issuer under the federal securities laws and under applicable listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. The members of the Audit Committee of each Fund are Ms. Rogers-Windsor and Messrs. Clark and Maginnis. The members of the Nominating Committee and the Contract Review Committee of each Fund are Mses. Magpiong, Richards and Rogers-Windsor and Messrs. Clark, Grossman, Junkans and Maginnis. The members of the Governance Committee of each Fund are Mses. Magpiong and Richards and Messrs. Junkans and Grossman. The members of the Dividend Committee of each Fund are Mses. Richards and Rogers-Windsor and Messrs. Junkans and Maginnis.
The Audit Committee of each Fund met four times during the fiscal year (except for RLTY’s Audit Committee, which met three times). Mr. Maginnis was appointed to serve as Audit Committee Chair effective January 1, 2019 for each Fund other than PTA and RLTY, for which Mr. Maginnis was appointed to serve as Audit Committee Chair effective December 10, 2019 and December 7, 2021, respectively. Each Audit Committee operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the applicable Board. A current copy of the Audit Committee charter is available on the Advisor’s website at https://assets.cohenandsteers.com/assets/content/uploads/Audit_Committee_Charter_Updated_September_2019.pdf. The general purposes of each Audit Committee are to oversee the Fund’s accounting and financial
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reporting and processes and audits of the Fund’s financial statements; the integrity of the Fund’s financial statements; the Fund’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting processes and financial statement audits; and the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm(s) engaged by the Fund and the performance of the Fund’s independent audit function, if any.
The Nominating Committee of each Fund met one time during the fiscal year. The Nominating Committee of each Fund operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the applicable Board. A current copy of the Nominating Committee charter is available on the Advisor’s website at https://www.cohenandsteers.com/assets/content/uploads/Nominating_Committee_Charter_Fds.pdf. The main functions of each Nominating Committee are to (i) identify individuals qualified to become Directors in the event that a position is vacated or created, (ii) select the Director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders and (iii) set any necessary standards or qualifications for service on the applicable Board. Each Nominating Committee requires that Director candidates have a college degree or equivalent business experience. Each Nominating Committee may take into account a wide variety of factors in considering Director candidates, including (but not limited to): (i) availability and commitment of a candidate to attend meetings and perform his or her responsibilities on the Board, (ii) an assessment of the candidate’s ability to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Fund management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties, (iii) educational background, (iv) business, professional training or practice (e.g., accountancy or law), public service or academic positions, (v) an assessment of the candidate’s character and integrity, (vi) experience from service as a board member (including the Boards of the Funds) or as an executive of investment funds, public companies or significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations, (vii) whether or not the candidate has any relationships that might impair his or her independence, such as any business, financial or family relationships with Cohen & Steers, Fund service providers or their affiliates and (viii) overall interplay of a candidate’s experience, skill and knowledge with that of other Directors. In addition, although the Nominating Committee does not have a formal policy with regard to consideration of diversity in identifying Director candidates, the Nominating Committee may consider whether a potential candidate’s qualities and attributes, including gender, race or national origin, would provide beneficial diversity of skills, experience or perspective to the Board’s membership and collective attributes. Such considerations will vary based on the Board’s existing membership and other factors, such as the strength of a potential nominee’s overall qualifications relative to diversity considerations. The Nominating Committee may, but is not required to, retain a third-party search firm at the Fund’s expense to identify potential candidates. The Nominating Committee will consider Director candidates recommended by stockholders, provided that any such stockholder recommendation is submitted in writing to the Fund, to the attention of the Secretary, at the address of the principal executive offices of the Fund and further provided that such recommendation
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includes all other information specified in the Nominating Committee charter and complies with the procedures set forth in Appendix A thereto. Pursuant to each Fund’s charter and bylaws, or in the case of PTA and RLTY, the Declaration of Trust and bylaws, each Fund’s Board may elect a new Director to fill any vacancy on the Board. Any Director elected in this manner will serve for the full term of the directorship for which he or she is elected and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.
The Contract Review Committee of each Fund met two times during the fiscal year (except for RLTY’s Contract Review Committee, which did not meet because that Fund’s investment advisory agreement was not yet up for renewal). The Contract Review Committee of each Fund operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the applicable Board. The main functions of each Contract Review Committee are to make recommendations to the Board after reviewing advisory and other contracts that the Fund has with the Advisor and to select third parties to provide evaluative reports and other information to the Board regarding the services provided by the Advisor.
The Governance Committee of each Fund met five times during the fiscal year. The Governance Committee of each Fund operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the applicable Board. The main function of each Governance Committee is to assist the Board in the oversight of appropriate and effective governance of the Fund. The Governance Committee oversees, among other things, the structure and composition of the Board Committees, the size of the Board and the compensation of Independent Directors for service on the Board and any Board Committee and the process for securing insurance coverage for the Board.
The Dividend Committee of each Fund met two times during the fiscal year. The main function of each Dividend Committee is to assist the applicable Board in the oversight of the Funds’ process for determining distributions and to exercise the power to authorize distributions delegated to it by the Board.
Board’s Oversight Role in Management. The Board’s role in management of each Fund is oversight. As is the case with virtually all investment companies (as distinguished from operating companies), service providers to the Funds, primarily the Advisor and its affiliates, have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Funds, which includes responsibility for risk management (including management of investment performance and investment risk, valuation risk, issuer and counterparty credit risk, compliance risk and operational risk). As part of its oversight, each Board, acting at its scheduled meetings, or the lead Independent Director, acting between Board meetings, regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers, including the Funds’ and the Advisor’s Chief Compliance Officer and portfolio management personnel. Each Board’s Audit Committee meets during its scheduled meetings, and between meetings, the Audit Committee chair maintains contact with the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and the Funds’ Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Each Board also receives periodic presentations from senior personnel of the Advisor or its affiliates regarding risk management
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generally, as well as periodic presentations regarding specific operational, compliance or investment areas such as business continuity, anti-money laundering, personal trading, valuation, credit, investment research and securities lending. Each Board also receives reports from counsel to the Funds’ and the Advisor and the Boards’ own independent legal counsel regarding regulatory compliance and governance matters. Each Board’s oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Fund’s investments or activities.
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Audit Committee Report
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees of each Cohen & Steers Fund (a “Fund” and together, the “Funds”) has met with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, to discuss the scope of the audit engagement, review the Funds’ financial statements, and discuss the statements and audit results with management. Each Audit Committee discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), received the written disclosures and the letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP required by PCAOB Rule 3526 and discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP its independence. Based on these reviews and discussions, each Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees, as applicable, that the audited financial statements of each Fund be included in that Fund’s annual report to stockholders for the last fiscal year for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
February 27, 2023
Submitted by the Audit Committee of each Fund’s Board of Directors or Board of Trustees, as applicable.
Michael G. Clark
Gerald J. Maginnis, Chair