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2025-04-02
2025-04-02
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SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Filed by 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 Pursuant to Sec. 240.14a-12 |
Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd.
(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 the appropriate box):
☒ |
No fee required |
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☐ |
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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1) |
Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
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Aggregate number of securities
to which transaction applies: |
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3) |
Per unit price or other underlying
value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11(set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state
how it was determined): |
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4) |
Proposed maximum aggregate value
of transaction: |
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5) |
Total fee paid: |
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☐ |
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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☐ |
Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2)
and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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1) |
Amount Previously Paid: |
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2) |
Form, Schedule or Registration
Statement No.: |
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3) |
Filing Party: |
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4) |
Date Filed: |
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ELLSWORTH GROWTH AND INCOME
FUND LTD.
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York 10580-1422
(914) 921-5070
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF
SHAREHOLDERS
To Be Held on May 12,
2025
To the Shareholders of
ELLSWORTH GROWTH AND INCOME FUND LTD.
Notice is hereby given
that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd., a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”),
will be held on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 8:15 a.m., ET, at Indian Harbor Yacht Club, 710 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut, 06830
and virtually by Internet webcast (the “Meeting”), and at any adjournments or postponements thereof for the
following purposes:
| 1. | To
elect four (4) Trustees of the Fund to be elected by the holders of the Fund’s common
shares and holders of its 5.25% Series A Cumulative Preferred Shares and Series B Cumulative
Preferred Shares, voting together as a single class; and |
| 2. | To
consider and vote upon such other matters, including adjournments, as may properly come before
said Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. |
These items are discussed in greater detail in the attached
Proxy Statement.
We are conducting a
“hybrid” meeting - you may attend in person or virtually. Whether or not you plan to attend the Meeting in person, shareholders
must register in advance by submitting the required information to the Fund at: http://Gabelli.com/CEFAnnualMeeting. Following registration,
a shareholder will be provided with instructions regarding how to access the virtual Meeting, including the link for the Meeting.
Requests for registration
must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on May 11, 2025. Shareholders will receive an email confirming their registration and providing
instructions for participating in the Meeting. Any questions should be directed to CEFProxy@gabelli.com.
The close of business
on March 13, 2025, has been fixed as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting
and any adjournments or postponements thereof.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT
REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF YOUR HOLDINGS IN THE FUND. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE YOUR PROXY IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING, EVEN IF YOU PLAN
TO ATTEND THE MEETING. SHAREHOLDERS MAY AUTHORIZE THEIR PROXY BY TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET. ALTERNATIVELY, SHAREHOLDERS MAY SUBMIT VOTING
INSTRUCTIONS BY SIGNING AND DATING THE PROXY CARD AND RETURNING IT IN THE ACCOMPANYING POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE.
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By Order of the Board of Trustees, |
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PETER GOLDSTEIN |
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Secretary |
April 2, 2025
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING
PROXY CARDS TO BE RETURNED BY MAIL
The following general rules for signing proxy cards
may be of assistance to you and avoid the time and expense to the Fund involved in validating your vote if you fail to properly sign
your proxy card.
1. Individual Accounts: Sign your name exactly as it appears in
the registration on the proxy card.
| 2. | Joint
Accounts: Either party may sign, but the name of the party signing should conform exactly
to the name shown in the registration. |
| 3. | All
Other Accounts: The capacity of the individuals signing the proxy card should be indicated
unless it is reflected in the form of registration. For example: |
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Registration |
Valid Signature |
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Corporate Accounts |
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(1) |
ABC Corp. |
ABC Corp., John Doe, Treasurer |
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(2) |
ABC Corp. |
John Doe, Treasurer |
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(3) |
ABC Corp. |
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c/o John Doe, Treasurer |
John Doe |
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(4) |
ABC Corp., Profit Sharing Plan |
John Doe, Trustee |
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Trust Accounts |
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(1) |
ABC Trust |
Jane B. Doe, Trustee |
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(2) |
Jane B. Doe, Trustee |
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u/t/d 12/28/78 |
Jane B. Doe |
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Custodian or Estate Accounts |
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(1) |
John B. Smith, Cust. |
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f/b/o John B. Smith, Jr. UGMA |
John B. Smith |
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(2) |
John B. Smith, Executor |
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Estate of Jane Smith |
John B. Smith, Executor |
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TELEPHONE/INTERNET
VOTING
Instructions for authorizing your proxy to vote your
shares by telephone or Internet are included with the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and the proxy card.
ELLSWORTH GROWTH AND INCOME
FUND LTD.
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
May 12, 2025
PROXY STATEMENT
This Proxy Statement is furnished
in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Trustees (the “Board,” the members of which
are referred to as “Trustees”) of the Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd., a Delaware statutory trust (the
“Fund”), for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund to be held on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 8:15
a.m., ET, at Indian Harbor Yacht Club, 710 Steamboat Road, Greenwich, Connecticut, 06830 and virtually by Internet webcast (the “Meeting”),
and at any adjournments or postponements thereof. A Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will first be mailed to shareholders
on or about April 2, 2025.
We are conducting a “hybrid”
meeting - you may attend in person or virtually. Whether or not you plan to attend the Meeting in person, shareholders must register
in advance by submitting the required information to the Fund at: http://Gabelli.com/CEFAnnualMeeting. Following registration, a shareholder
will be provided with instructions regarding how to access the virtual Meeting, including the link for the Meeting.
Requests for registration must
be received no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on May 11, 2025. Shareholders will receive an email confirming their registration and providing
instructions for participating in the Meeting. Any questions should be directed to CEFProxy@gabelli.com.
In addition to the solicitation
of proxies by mail, officers of the Fund and officers and regular employees of Equiniti Trust Company, LLC (“Equiniti”),
the Fund’s transfer agent, and affiliates of Equiniti or other representatives of the Fund may also solicit proxies by telephone,
Internet, or in person. In addition, the Fund has retained Morrow Sodali LLC to assist in the solicitation of proxies for an estimated
fee of $1,050 plus reimbursement of expenses. The Fund will pay the costs of the proxy solicitation and the expenses incurred in connection
with preparing, printing, and mailing the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and/or Proxy Statement and its enclosures.
If requested, the Fund will also reimburse brokerage firms and others for their expenses in forwarding solicitation materials to the
beneficial owners of its shares.
The Fund’s most recent
annual report, including audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, is available upon request, without
charge, by writing to the Secretary of the Fund,One Corporate Center, Rye, New York 10580-1422, calling the Fund at 800-422-3554, or
via the Internet at www.gabelli.com.
If the proxy is properly executed
and returned in time to be voted at the Meeting, the shares represented thereby will be voted “FOR” the election
of the nominees as Trustees as described in this Proxy Statement, unless instructions to the contrary are marked thereon, and at the
discretion of the proxy holders as to the transaction of any other business that may properly come before the Meeting. Any shareholder
who has submitted a proxy has the right to revoke it at any time prior to its exercise either by attending the Meeting and voting his
or her shares or by submitting a letter of revocation or a later dated proxy to the Fund at the above address prior to the date of the
Meeting.
A “quorum”
is required in order to transact business at the Meeting. A quorum of shareholders is constituted by the presence or representation by
proxy of the holders of one-third of the outstanding shares of the Fund entitled to vote at the Meeting, subject to a resolution of the
Board specifying a greater or a lesser quorum requirement for the transaction of any item of business that properly comes before the
Meeting. In the event a quorum is not present at the Meeting, or in the event that a quorum is present at the Meeting but sufficient
votes to approve any of the proposed items are not received, the chairperson of the Meeting may propose one or more adjournments of such
Meeting to permit further solicitation of proxies. If a quorum is present, a shareholder vote may be taken on one or more of the proposals
in this Proxy Statement prior to such adjournment if sufficient votes have been received for approval and it is otherwise appropriate.
If a quorum is present, the persons named as proxies will vote those proxies which they are entitled to vote “FOR”
any proposal in favor of such adjournment and will vote those proxies required to be voted
“AGAINST” any proposal against
any such adjournment. Absent the establishment of a subsequent record date and the giving of notice to the holders of record thereon,
the adjourned meeting must take place not more than 130 days after the record date. At such adjourned meeting, any business may be transacted
which might have been transacted at the original Meeting. The Fund may postpone or cancel a meeting of shareholders, and if it does the
Fund will make a public announcement of such postponement or cancellation prior to the meeting. The postponed meeting may not be held
more than 130 days after the initial record date.
The close of business on March
13, 2025, has been fixed as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and
all adjournments or postponements thereof.
The Fund has two classes of shares
of beneficial interest outstanding: common shares, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Shares”), and 5.25% Series
A Cumulative Preferred Shares (“Series A Preferred”) and Series B Cumulative Preferred Shares (“Series
B Preferred”), each having a par value $0.01 per share (together, “Preferred Shares”). The holders
of the Common Shares and Preferred Shares are each entitled to one vote on each matter to properly come before the Meeting for each full
share held. See “Additional Information—Delaware Statutory Trust Act—Control Share Acquisitions”
for a discussion of the ability of holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares that are “control shares”
to vote such shares. On the record date, there were 13,682,849 Common Shares and 1,120,811 Series A Preferred and 828,000 Series B Preferred
outstanding.
Set forth below is information
as to those shareholders to the Fund’s knowledge that beneficially own 5% or more of a class of the Fund’s outstanding voting
securities as of the record date.
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner(s) |
|
Title
of Class |
|
Amount
of Shares and
Nature of Ownership |
|
Percent
of Class |
Saba Capital Management,
L.P.
405 Lexington Avenue
58th Floor
New York, NY 10174 |
|
Common |
|
1,403,987 |
|
10.3% |
Wells Fargo & Company
420 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94163 |
|
Common |
|
1,033,115 |
|
7.6% |
GAMCO Investors, Inc. and
affiliates
One Corporate Center
Rye, NY 10580 |
|
Preferred |
|
565,000* |
|
29.0% |
MJG 1999 Descendants Trust
One Corporate Center
Rye, NY 10580 |
|
Preferred |
|
150,000 |
|
7.7% |
Americo Investment Advisors
Inc.
P.O. Box 410288
Kansas City, MO 64141 |
|
Preferred |
|
120,000 |
|
6.2% |
* |
The shares reported are comprised of 340,000 shares of Series B Preferred owned
directly by Mario J. Gabelli; 125,000 shares of Series B Preferred owned by Associated Capital Group, Inc. (ACG), of which Mr. Gabelli
is the Executive Chair and controlling shareholder; and 100,000 shares of Series B Preferred owned by GAMCO Asset Management Inc.
Mr. Gabelli has less than a 100% interest in each of these entities and disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned by these
entities which are in excess of his indirect pecuniary interest. |
SUMMARY OF VOTING RIGHTS
ON PROXY PROPOSALS
Proposal |
|
Common Shareholders |
|
Preferred
Shareholders |
Election of Trustees |
|
Common and Preferred Shareholders,
voting together as a single class, vote
to elect four Trustees:
Elizabeth C. Bogan,
James A. Dinsmore,
Colin J. Kilrain, and
Anthonie C. van Ekris |
|
Common and Preferred Shareholders,
voting together as a single class, vote
to elect four Trustees:
Elizabeth C. Bogan,
James A. Dinsmore,
Colin J. Kilrain, and
Anthonie C. van Ekris |
|
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Other Business |
|
Common and Preferred Shareholders, voting together
as a single class |
PROPOSAL: TO ELECT FOUR (4) TRUSTEES OF THE
FUND
Nominees for the Board of Trustees
The
Board consists of eleven Trustees, nine of whom are not “interested persons” of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)). The Fund divides the Board into three classes, each class having a term of three
years. Each year, the term of office of one class will expire. Elizabeth C. Bogan, James A. Dinsmore, Colin J. Kilrain, and Anthonie
C. van Ekris have each been nominated by the Board for election to serve for a three year term to expire at the Fund’s 2028 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Elizabeth C. Bogan has served as a Trustee of the Fund
since 1986, Nicolas W. Platt has served as a Trustee since 1997, Daniel D. Harding has served as a Trustee since 2007, Kinchen C. Bizzell
has served as a Trustee since 2008, and James A. Dinsmore has served as a Trustee since 2013. James P. Conn, Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.,
Mario J. Gabelli, Michael J. Melarkey, and Anthonie C. van Ekris became Trustees of the Fund on November 1, 2015, and Colin J. Kilrain
became a Trustee of the Fund on February 13, 2025. All of the Trustees, with the exception of James A. Dinsmore, are also directors or
trustees of other investment companies for which Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) or its affiliates serve as investment
adviser. The classes of Trustees are indicated below:
Nominees to Serve Until 2028 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
Elizabeth C. Bogan
James A. Dinsmore
Colin J. Kilrain
Anthonie C. van Ekris
Trustees Serving Until 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
Mario J. Gabelli
Daniel D. Harding
Nicolas W. Platt
Trustees Serving Until 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
Kinchen C. Bizzell
James P. Conn
Frank J. Fahrenkopf,
Jr. Michael J. Melarkey
Under the Fund’s Declaration
of Trust, Statement of Preferences, and the 1940 Act, holders of the Fund’s outstanding Preferred Shares, voting as a separate
class, are entitled to elect two Trustees, and holders of the Fund’s outstanding Common Shares and Preferred Shares, voting together
as a single class, are entitled to elect the remaining Trustees. The holders of the Fund’s outstanding Preferred Shares would be
entitled to elect the minimum number of additional Trustees that would represent a majority of the Trustees in the event that dividends
on the Fund’s Preferred Shares become in arrears for two full years and until all arrearages are eliminated. No dividend arrearages
exist as of the date of this Proxy Statement. Messrs. Melarkey and Platt are currently the Trustees elected solely by the holders of
the Fund’s Preferred Shares, and their terms as Trustees are scheduled to expire at the Fund’s 2026 and 2027 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders, respectively. Therefore, they are not standing for election at this Meeting.
Unless instructions are provided
to the contrary, it is the intention of the persons named in the proxy to vote the proxy “FOR” the election
of the nominees named above. Each nominee has indicated that he or she has consented to serve as a Trustee if elected at the Meeting.
If, however, a designated nominee declines or otherwise becomes unavailable for election, the proxy confers discretionary power on the
persons named therein to vote in favor of a substitute nominee or nominees. Each nominee is qualified to serve as a Trustee under the
Fund’s governing documents.
Information about Trustees and Officers
Set forth in the table below are the existing Trustees,
including those Trustees who are not considered to be “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act
(the “Independent Trustees”), three of whom are nominated for re-election to the Board of the Fund, and
officers of the Fund, including information relating to their respective positions held with the Fund, a brief statement of their
principal occupations, and, in the case of the Trustees, their other directorships during the past five years (excluding other funds
managed by the Adviser), if any.
Name,
Position(s), Address(1) and Year of Birth
|
|
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served(2)
|
|
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
|
|
Other Directorships Held by Trustee
|
|
Number
of Portfolios in Fund Complex(3) Overseen by Trustee
|
INTERESTED
TRUSTEES/NOMINEE(4):
|
Mario J. Gabelli
Chairman
1942
|
|
Since 2015**
|
|
Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer,
and Chief Investment Officer - Value Portfolios of GAMCO Investors, Inc. and Chief Investment Officer - Value Portfolios of Gabelli
Funds, LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc.; Director/Trustee or Chief Investment Officer of other registered investment companies
within the Gabelli Fund Complex; Chief Executive Officer of GGGP, Inc.; Executive Chair of Associated Capital Group, Inc.
|
|
Director of Morgan Group Holding
Co. (holding company) (2001-2019); Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of LICT Corp. (multimedia and communication
services company); director of CIBL, Inc. (broadcasting and wireless communications); director of ICTC Group Inc.(communications)
(2013-2018)
|
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31(9)
|
James A. Dinsmore
President
and Trustee
1982
|
|
Since 2013*
|
|
Portfolio Manager for Gabelli Funds,
LLC; President of the Fund and the Bancroft Fund Ltd.; Executive Vice President of the Bancroft Fund Ltd. (2013-2015); Executive
Vice President of the Fund (January 2013-February 2014); Vice President of the Fund and the Bancroft Fund Ltd. (2009-2012)
|
|
—
|
|
1
|
INDEPENDENT
TRUSTEES/NOMINEES(5):
|
Kinchen C. Bizzell
Trustee
1954
|
|
Since 2008***
|
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Managing Director of Drexel Hamilton
(securities broker-dealer); Private Investor (2017-2020); Managing Director of CAVU Securities (securities broker-dealer) (2013-2016);
Investor Relations Managing Director (1998-2013) and Senior Counselor (after 2013) at Burson-Marsteller (global public relations
and communications)
|
|
—
|
|
2 |
Elizabeth C. Bogan
Trustee
1944
|
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Since 1986*
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Former Senior Lecturer in Economics
at Princeton University
|
|
—
|
|
12
|
James P. Conn
Trustee
1938
|
|
Since 2015***
|
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Former Managing Director and Chief
Investment Officer of Financial Security Assurance Holdings, Ltd. (1992-1998)
|
|
—
|
|
23
|
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.(7)
Trustee
1939
|
|
Since 2015***
|
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Co-Chairman of the Commission on
Presidential Debates; Former President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Gaming Association (1995-2013); Former Chairman
of the Republican National Committee (1983-1989)
|
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Director of First Republic Bank
(banking); Director of Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (casino entertainment company)
|
|
11
|
Daniel D. Harding
Trustee
1952
|
|
Since 2007**
|
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Managing General Partner of the
Global Equity Income Fund (private investment fund); Director of Reef Consulting & Investment (private equity firm); former Director
of TRC (private asset management); former General Partner of Latitude Capital Partners, LLC (private investment)
|
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Atlantic Health Systems; Ocean
Reef Community Foundation; and Ocean Reef Medical Center Foundation
|
|
3
|
Name,
Position(s), Address(1) and Year
of Birth
|
|
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served(2)
|
|
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
|
|
Other Directorships Held by Trustee
|
|
Number
of Portfolios in Fund Complex(3) Overseen
by Trustee
|
Michael
J. Melarkey(6)
Trustee 1949
|
|
Since 2015***
|
|
Of Counsel in the law firm of McDonald
Carano Wilson LLP; Partner in the law firm of Avansino, Melarkey, Knobel, Mulligan & McKenzie (1980-2015)
|
|
Chairman of Southwest Gas Corporation
(natural gas utility) (2004-2022)
|
|
24
|
Colin J. Kilrain
Trustee
1958
|
|
Since February
2025*
|
|
Assistant to the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (2021-2023); Senior Military Advisor to Director of the CIA (2019-2021)
|
|
—
|
|
2
|
Nicolas
W. Platt(6)
Trustee 1953
|
|
Since 1997**
|
|
Private Investor; Member of NYSE
American LLC Committee on Securities; Township Committee Member, Harding, New Jersey; Former Mayor of Township of Harding, New Jersey
(2013-2016); Managing Director of FTI Consulting Inc. (international consulting company) (March 2009-May 2011)
|
|
|
|
3
|
Anthonie
C. van Ekris(7)
Trustee 1934
|
|
Since 2015*
|
|
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of BALMAC International, Inc. (global import/export company)
|
|
—
|
|
23
|
OFFICERS: |
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|
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Name,
Position(s) Address(1) and Year of Birth
|
|
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served(8)
|
|
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years
|
John C. Ball
Treasurer and
Principal Financial and Accounting Officer
1976
|
|
Since 2017 |
|
Senior Vice President (since
2018) of GAMCO Investors, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer, G.Distributors, LLC since 2020; Officer of registered investment companies
within the Gabelli Fund Complex since 2017 |
Peter Goldstein
Secretary
and Vice President
1953
|
|
Since 2020 |
|
General Counsel, GAMCO Investors,
Inc. and Chief Legal Officer, Associated Capital Group, Inc. since 2021; General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Buckingham
Capital Management, Inc. (2012-2020); Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, The Buckingham Research Group, Inc. (2012-2020) |
Richard J. Walz
Chief Compliance
Officer
1959
|
|
Since 2015 |
|
Chief Compliance Officer
of registered investment companies within the Gabelli Fund Complex since 2013 |
Laurissa M. Martire
Vice
President and Ombudsman
1976
|
|
Since 2015
|
|
Vice President and/or Ombudsman
of closed-end funds within the Gabelli Fund Complex; Senior Vice President (since January 2019) of GAMCO Investors, Inc.
|
Bethany A. Uhlein
Vice
President and Ombudsman
1990
|
|
Since 2017
|
|
Vice President and/or Ombudsman
of closed-end funds within the Gabelli Fund Complex since May 2017; Senior Vice President (since 2021) of GAMCO Investors, Inc.
|
(1) |
Address: One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422. |
(2) |
The Fund’s Board of Trustees is divided into three
classes, each class having a term of three years. Each year the term of office of one class expires and the successor or successors
elected to such class serve for a three year term. |
(3) |
The “Fund Complex” or the “Gabelli
Fund Complex” includes all the U.S. registered investment companies that are considered part of the same fund complex
as the Fund because they have common or affiliated investment advisers. |
(4) |
“Interested person” of the Fund,
as defined in the 1940 Act. Messrs. Gabelli and Dinsmore are each considered to be an “interested person”
of the Fund because of their affiliation with the Fund’s Adviser. |
(5) |
Trustees who are not considered to be “interested
persons” of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act are considered to be “Independent” Trustees.
None of the Independent Trustees (with the possible exceptions as described in this proxy statement) nor their family members had
any interest in the Adviser or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser
as of December 31, 2024. |
(6) |
Trustee elected solely by holders of the Fund’s Preferred
Shares. |
(7) |
Mr. Fahrenkopf’s daughter, Leslie F. Foley, serves
as a director of other funds in the Gabelli Fund Complex. Mr. van Ekris is an independent director of Gabelli International Ltd.,
Gabelli Fund LDC, GAMA Capital Opportunities Master Ltd., and GAMCO International SICAV, all of which may be deemed to be controlled
by Mario J. Gabelli and/or affiliates and in that event would be deemed to be under common control with the Fund’s Adviser. |
(8) |
Includes time served in prior officer positions with the
Fund. Each officer will hold office for an indefinite term until the date he or she resigns or retires or until his or her successor
is duly elected and qualified. |
(9) |
As of December 31, 2024, there are a total of 50 registered
investment companies in the Fund Complex. Of the 50 registered investment companies, Mr. Gabelli serves as a director or trustee
for 31 funds, sole portfolio manager of 6 funds, and part of the portfolio management team of 14 funds. |
* |
Nominee to serve, if elected, until the Fund’s 2028
Annual Meeting of Shareholders or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. |
** |
Term continues until the Fund’s 2027 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. |
*** |
Term continues until the Fund’s 2026 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. |
The Board believes that each
Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of other Trustees
lead to the conclusion that each Trustee should serve in such capacity. Among the attributes or skills common to all Trustees are their
ability to review critically and to evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the other
Trustees, the Adviser, the sub-administrator, other service providers, counsel, and the Fund’s independent registered public accounting
firm, and to exercise effective and independent business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. Each Trustee’s
ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained in large part through the Trustee’s business, consulting, or
public service positions and through experience from service as a member of the Board and one or more of the other funds in the Fund
Complex, public companies, non-profit entities, or other organizations as set forth above and below. Each Trustee’s ability to
perform his or her duties effectively also has been enhanced by education, professional training, and other experience.
Interested Trustees/Nominee
Mario J. Gabelli, CFA.
Mr. Gabelli is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund. He serves in the same capacity for other funds in the Fund Complex. Mr.
Gabelli is Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Value Portfolios of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (“GAMI”),
an OTC-listed asset manager and financial services company. He is the Chief Investment Officer of Value Portfolios of Gabelli Funds,
LLC and GAMCO Asset Management Inc., each of which are asset management subsidiaries of GAMI. In addition, Mr. Gabelli is Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Investment Officer, a director and the controlling shareholder of GGCP, Inc. (“GGCP”), a private
company that holds a majority interest in GAMI, and the Chair of MJG Associates, Inc., which acts as an investment manager of various
investment funds and other accounts. He is Executive Chair of Associated Capital Group, Inc., a public company that provides alternative
management and institutional research services, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of GGCP. Mr. Gabelli has served as Chair of LICT Corporation
(“LICT”), a public company engaged in broadband transport and other communications services, since 2004 and has been the
CEO of LICT since December 2010. He has also served as a director of CIBL, Inc. (“CIBL”), a public holding company that was
spun-off from LICT in 2007, since 2007 and as Executive Chair since February 2020. He served as the Chair of Morgan Group Holding Co.,
a public holding company, from 2001 to October 2019 and as the CEO from 2001 to November 2012. Mr. Gabelli serves as Overseer of the
Columbia University Graduate School of Business and as a trustee of Boston College and Roger Williams University. He serves as a director
of the Winston Churchill Foundation, The E.L. Wiegand Foundation, The American-Italian Cancer Foundation, and The Foundation for Italian
Art and Culture. He is Chair of the Gabelli Foundation, Inc., a Nevada private charitable trust. Mr. Gabelli serves as Co-President of
Field Point Park Association, Inc. Mr. Gabelli received his Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, MBA from Columbia Business
School, and honorary Doctorates from Fordham University and Roger Williams University.
James A. Dinsmore, CFA.
Mr. Dinsmore has been President of the Fund since February 2014, and serves as a portfolio manager of the Fund and other funds in the
Fund Complex. He was Executive Vice President of Bancroft Fund Ltd. from 2013 until 2015. He was Executive Vice President of the Fund
from January 2013 until February 2014. He served as Vice President of the Fund and the Bancroft Fund Ltd. from 2009 through 2012. He
received a B.A. degree in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance and marketing from Rutgers University.
Independent Trustees/Nominees
Kinchen C. Bizzell, CFA.
Mr. Bizzell is Managing Director of Drexel Hamilton, a securities broker-dealer. He was a Managing Director of CAVU Securities, a New
York institutional securities broker-dealer from 2013 until 2016. At CAVU, Mr. Bizzell was a Compliance Officer and a Financial Institution
Group Investment Banker. From 1998 until 2003, Mr. Bizzell was an Investor Relations Managing Director and later a Senior Counselor at
Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations and communications firm. He advised clients on earnings warnings and restatements, mergers
and acquisitions, and bankruptcies. He started his career as a lawyer and was a partner in the New York law firm of Mendes & Mount,
counsel to Lloyd’s of London and British insurers. Mr. Bizzell serves on the Fund’s Audit Committee and in the same capacity
for another fund in the Fund Complex. Mr. Bizzell is a member of the New York State Bar. He holds eleven securities licenses from the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority including: Research Analyst (Series 86, 87) and Principal registration for Financial and Operations,
General Securities, Municipal Securities and Registered Options (Series 27, 24, 53, 4). Mr. Bizzell received his Bachelor’s degree
from North Carolina State University and Juris Doctor degree from Duke University.
Elizabeth C. Bogan, Ph.D.
Dr. Bogan was formerly Senior Lecturer in Economics at Princeton University from 1992 until 2020. She was formerly Chair of the Economics
and Finance Department, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a member of the Executive Committee for the College of Business Administration.
Dr. Bogan serves on the Fund’s Audit Committee and also serves in the same capacity for another fund in the Fund Complex. She received
a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Wellesley College, an M.A. degree in Quantitative Economics from the University of New Hampshire,
and a Ph.D. degree in Economics from Columbia University.
James P. Conn. Mr. Conn
is the Lead Independent Trustee of the Fund and a member of the Fund’s Pricing and ad hoc Proxy Voting Committees. He serves
on comparable or other board committees with respect to other funds in the Fund Complex on whose boards he sits. He was a senior business
executive of Transamerica Corp., an insurance holding company, for much of his career, including service as Chief Investment Officer.
Mr. Conn has been a director of several public companies in banking and other industries, and was lead director and/or chair of various
committees. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Santa Clara University.
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Mr. Fahrenkopf is the Co-Chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is responsible for the widely-viewed Presidential
debates during the quadrennial election cycle. He also served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee for six years during Ronald
Reagan’s presidency. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the International Republican Institute, which he founded in 1984.
Mr. Fahrenkopf is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Gaming Association (“AGA”),
the trade group for the hotel-casino industry. Mr. Fahrenkopf is Chair of the Fund’s ad hoc Proxy Voting Committee and a
member of the Fund’s Nominating and Pricing Committees. Mr. Fahrenkopf serves on comparable or other board committees with respect
to other funds in the Fund Complex on whose boards he sits. He served for many years as Chairman of the Pacific Democrat Union and Vice
Chairman of the International Democrat Union, a worldwide association of political parties from the United States, Great Britain, France,
Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and twenty other nations. Prior to becoming the AGA’s first chief executive in 1995, Mr. Fahrenkopf
was a partner in the law firm of Hogan & Hartson, where he chaired the International Trade Practice Group and specialized in regulatory,
legislative, and corporate matters for multinational, foreign, and domestic clients. Mr. Fahrenkopf is the former Chairman of the Finance
Committee of the Culinary Institute of America and remains a member of the board. For more than 30 years, Mr. Fahrenkopf has served on
the Board of First Republic Bank and serves as Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and as a member of the Compensation
Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Eldorado Resorts, Inc., which owns and operates 19 casinos in 10 states. Mr. Fahrenkopf
received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and his Juris Doctor from Boalt Hall School of Law, U.C. Berkeley.
Daniel D. Harding, CFA.
Mr. Harding is the Managing General Partner of the Global Equity Income Fund, a private investment fund. Mr. Harding is a member of the
Fund’s Pricing Committee, serves as Chairman of the Fund’s Audit Committee, and is the Fund’s designated Audit Committee
Financial Expert. He serves in the same capacities for another fund in the Fund Complex. Mr. Harding is co-founder and was Chief Investment
Officer of Harding Loevner Management LP, an investment advisory firm, from 1989 through 2003. Prior to founding Harding Loevner, he
was a Trust Investment Officer at American National Bank and a partner and associate for the Rockefeller Family Office. He is a director
of Reef Consulting & Investment, a private equity firm, and was a director of Legg Mason Investment Counsel, LLC and Chair of the
Investment Committee from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Harding is engaged in
numerous not for profit organizations with fiduciary responsibilities including
Atlantic Health Systems, Ocean Reef Community Foundation, and the Ocean Reef Medical Center Foundation. He received his undergraduate
degree from Colgate University, and is a CFA and CIC charterholder.
Vice Admiral Colin J. Kilrain,
USN (retired) Vice Admiral Kilrain most recently served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2021 to 2023.
Vice Admiral Kilrain previously served as Commander of NATO Special Operations Headquarters, Commander of Special Operations Command
Pacific, and Commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two. He holds a Master of Science degree in National Resources Strategy and Management
from the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Michael J. Melarkey,
Esq. Mr. Melarkey, after more than forty years of experience as an attorney specializing in business, estate planning, and
gaming regulatory work, retired from the active practice of law and is of counsel to the firm of McDonald Carano and Wilson in Reno,
Nevada. He is Chairman of the Fund’s Nominating Committee and serves as a member of one of the multi-fund ad hoc Compensation
Committees. He serves on comparable or other board committees with respect to other funds in the Fund Complex on whose boards he
sits. He was Chairman of the Board of Southwest Gas Corporation and served on its Nominating, Corporate Governance, and Compensation
Committees. Mr. Melarkey acts as a trustee and officer for several private charitable organizations, including as a trustee of The
Bretzlaff Foundation and Edwin L. Wiegand Trust. He is an officer of a private oil and gas company. Mr. Melarkey received his
Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and
Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
Nicolas W. Platt. Mr. Platt
is a private investor. In 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy appointed Mr. Platt to be one of two bipartisan “Czars”
to address the State’s property tax crisis. He served as Mayor of the Township of Harding, New Jersey from 2013 to 2016. Mr. Platt
is now serving on the Township Committee. He is a member of the Fund’s Nominating and ad hoc Proxy Voting Committees. He
serves on comparable or other committees for other funds in the Fund Complex on whose boards he sits. From 2009 until 2011, Mr. Platt
served as Managing Director of FTI Consulting Inc., an international financial consulting company. Prior to March 2009, he was a senior
executive with WPP Group, plc subsidiaries Ogilvy Worldwide and Young & Rubicam – Burson-Marsteller’s corporate practice.
He spent thirteen years in leadership roles at both the New York and American Stock Exchanges. At the AMEX, Mr.Platt oversaw the exchange’s
domestic and international listing efforts and was the liaison to the investment banking community. Mr. Platt is a member of the NYSE
American LLC Committee on Securities, which reviews the continued exchange listing qualifications for companies. He sits on the boards
of several non-public organizations. Mr. Platt received his Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and an M.A. in Economics from
Columbia University.
Anthonie C. van Ekris. Mr. van Ekris has been
the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BALMAC International, Inc., a global import/export company, for over twenty years. He serves
on the boards of other funds in the Gabelli Fund Complex and as a director of the GAMCO International SICAV. Mr. van Ekris has over fifty-five
years of experience as Chairman and/or Chief Executive Officer of public and private companies involved in international trading or commodity
trading, and served in both of these capacities for nearly twenty years for a large public jewelry chain. Mr. van Ekris is a former director
of an oil and gas operations company. He served on the boards of a number of public companies and for more than ten years on the Advisory
Board of the Salvation Army of Greater New York.
Trustees – Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for general
oversight of the Fund rests with the Board. Mr. Gabelli, an Interested Trustee, serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board has appointed
Mr. Conn as the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee presides over executive sessions of the Trustees and also serves
between meetings of the Board as a liaison with service providers, officers, counsel, and other Trustees on a wide variety of matters
including scheduling agenda items for Board meetings. Designation as such does not impose on the Lead Independent Trustee any obligations
or standards greater than or different from other Trustees. The Board has established a Nominating Committee and an Audit Committee to
assist the Board in the oversight of the management and affairs of the Fund. The Board also has an ad hoc Proxy Voting Committee
that exercises beneficial ownership responsibilities on behalf of the Fund in selected situations. From time to time, the Board establishes
additional committees or informal working groups, such as an ad hoc Pricing Committee related to securities offerings by the Fund,
to address specific matters, or assigns one of its members to work with trustees or directors of other funds in the Fund Complex on special
committees or working groups that address fund complex-wide matters, such as the multi-fund ad hoc Compensation
Committee relating to the compensation of the Chief
Compliance Officer for all the funds in the Fund Complex, and a separate multi-fund ad hoc Compensation Committee relating to
the compensation of certain other officers of the closed-end funds in the Fund Complex.
All of the Fund’s Trustees,
other than Messrs. Mario J. Gabelli and James A. Dinsmore, are Independent Trustees and the Board believes it is able to provide effective
oversight of the Fund’s service providers. In addition to providing feedback and direction during Board meetings, the Independent
Trustees meet regularly in executive session and chair all committees of the Board.
The Fund’s operations entail
a variety of risks, including investment, administration, valuation, and a range of compliance matters. Although the Adviser, the sub-administrator,
and the officers of the Fund are responsible for managing these risks on a day-to-day basis within the framework of their established
risk management functions, the Board also addresses risk management of the Fund through its meetings and those of the committees and
working groups. As part of its general oversight, the Board reviews with the Adviser at Board meetings the levels and types of risks
being undertaken by the Fund, and the Audit Committee discusses the Fund’s risk management and controls with the independent registered
public accounting firm engaged by the Fund. The Board reviews valuation policies and procedures and the valuations of specific illiquid
securities. The Board also receives periodic reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding compliance matters relating
to the Fund and its major service providers, including results of the implementation and testing of the Fund’s and such providers’
compliance programs. The Board’s oversight function is facilitated by management reporting processes designed to provide visibility
to the Board regarding the identification, assessment, and management of critical risks, and the controls and policies and procedures
used to mitigate those risks. The Board reviews its role in supervising the Fund’s risk management from time to time and may make
changes at its discretion at any time.
The Board has determined that its
leadership structure is appropriate for the Fund because it enables the Board to exercise informed and independent judgment over matters
under its purview, allocates responsibility among committees in a manner that fosters effective oversight, and allows the Board to devote
appropriate resources to specific issues in a flexible manner as they arise. The Board periodically reviews its leadership structure
as well as its overall structure, composition, and functioning, and may make changes at its discretion at any time.
Beneficial Ownership of Shares Held in the Fund and the Family
of Investment Companies for each Trustee and Nominee for Election as Trustee
Set forth in the table below is the dollar range of equity
securities in the Fund beneficially owned by each Trustee and nominee for election as Trustee and the aggregate dollar range of
equity securities in the Fund Complex beneficially owned by each Trustee and nominee for election as Trustee.
Name
of Trustee/Nominee |
|
Dollar Range of Equity
Securities Held
in the Fund*(1) |
|
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities Held in the
Family of Investment Companies*(1)(2) |
INTERESTED TRUSTEES/NOMINEE: |
|
|
|
|
Mario J. Gabelli |
|
E |
|
E |
James A. Dinsmore |
|
E |
|
E |
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES/NOMINEES: |
|
|
|
|
Kinchen C. Bizzell |
|
E |
|
E |
Elizabeth C. Bogan |
|
E |
|
E |
James P. Conn |
|
B |
|
E |
Frank J. Fahrenkopf,
Jr. |
|
A |
|
E |
Daniel D. Harding |
|
E |
|
E |
Colin J. Kilrain(3) |
|
A |
|
A |
Michael J. Melarkey |
|
C |
|
E |
Nicolas W. Platt |
|
B |
|
C |
Anthonie C. van Ekris |
|
D |
|
E |
* |
Key to Dollar Ranges |
|
A. |
None |
|
B. |
$1–$10,000 |
|
C. |
$10,001–$50,000 |
|
D. |
$50,001–$100,000 |
|
E. |
Over $100,000 |
All shares were valued as of December 31, 2024.
(1) |
This information has been furnished by each Trustee and nominee for election
as Trustee as of December 31, 2024. “Beneficial Ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-l(a)(2)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”). |
(2) |
The term “Family of Investment Companies” includes
two or more registered funds that share the same investment adviser or principal underwriter and hold themselves out to investors
as related companies for purposes of investment and investor services. Currently, the registered funds that comprise the “Fund
Complex” are identical to those that comprise the “Family of Investment Companies.” |
(3) |
Mr. Kilrain became a Trustee of the Fund on February 13, 2025. |
Set forth in the table below is the amount of
shares beneficially owned by each Trustee, nominee for election as Trustee, and executive officer of the Fund.
Name
of Trustee/Nominee/Officer |
|
Amount and Nature of
Beneficial Ownership(1) |
|
Percent of Shares
Outstanding(2) |
INTERESTED TRUSTEES/NOMINEE: |
|
|
|
|
Mario J. Gabelli |
|
0 |
|
* |
|
|
565,000 Series B Preferred(3) |
|
29.0% |
James A. Dinsmore |
|
11,583 Common Shares |
|
* |
|
|
1,476 Series A Preferred |
|
* |
|
|
3,000 Series B Preferred |
|
* |
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES/NOMINEES: |
|
|
|
|
Kinchen C. Bizzell |
|
12,481 Common Shares |
|
* |
Elizabeth C. Bogan |
|
18,186 Common Shares |
|
* |
James P. Conn |
|
1,000 Common Shares |
|
* |
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. |
|
0 |
|
* |
Daniel D. Harding |
|
23,655 Common Shares |
|
* |
Colin J. Kilrain(4) |
|
0 |
|
* |
Michael J. Melarkey |
|
2,956 Common Shares |
|
* |
Nicolas W. Platt |
|
700 Common Shares |
|
* |
Anthonie C. van Ekris |
|
5,309 Common Shares(5) |
|
* |
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS: |
|
|
|
|
John C. Ball |
|
31 Common Shares |
|
* |
Peter Goldstein |
|
0 |
|
* |
Richard J. Walz |
|
0 |
|
* |
(1) |
This information has been furnished by each Trustee, including each nominee for
election as Trustee, and executive officer as of December 31, 2024. “Beneficial Ownership” is determined
in accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the 1934 Act. Reflects ownership of Common Shares unless otherwise noted. |
(2) |
An asterisk indicates that the ownership amount constitutes less than 1% of the
total shares outstanding. The ownership of the Trustees, including nominees for election as Trustee, and executive officers as a
group constitutes less than 1% of the total Common Shares and 29.2% of the total Preferred Shares outstanding. |
(3) |
Includes 340,000 shares of Series B Preferred owned by Mr. Gabelli; 125,000 shares
of Series B Preferred owned by Associated Capital Group, Inc. (ACG), of which Mr. Gabelli is the Executive Chair and controlling
shareholder; 100,000 shares of Series B Preferred owned by GAMCO Asset Management Inc.; and Mr. Gabelli has less than a 100% interest
in each of these entities and disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned by these entities which are in excess of his indirect
pecuniary interest. |
(4) |
Mr. Kilrain became a Trustee of the Fund on February 13, 2025. |
(5) |
All 5,309 Common Shares are owned by Mr. van Ekris’ children for which
he disclaims beneficial ownership. |
Set forth in the table below
is the amount of interests beneficially owned by each Independent Trustee, nominee for election as an Independent Trustee or his or
her immediate family member, as applicable, in a person, other than a registered investment company, that may be deemed to be
controlled by the Fund’s Adviser and/or affiliates (including Mario J. Gabelli) and in that event would be deemed to be under
common control with the Fund’s Adviser.
Name of Independent
Trustee |
|
Name of Owner and
Relationships to
Trustee |
|
Company |
|
Title
of Class |
|
|
Value of
Interests(1) |
|
Percent of
Class(2) |
James P. Conn |
|
Same |
|
PMV Consumer Acquisitions Corp. |
|
Warrants |
$ |
3 |
* |
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. |
|
Same |
|
Gabelli Associates Limited II E |
|
Membership Interests |
$ |
1,664,367 |
1.86% |
Michael Melarkey |
|
Same |
|
PMV Consumer Acquisitions Corp. |
|
Warrants |
$ |
3 |
* |
(1) |
This information has been furnished as of December 31, 2024. |
(2) |
An asterisk indicates that the ownership amount constitutes less than 1% of the
total interests outstanding. |
The Fund pays each Independent
Trustee an annual retainer of $8,500 plus $1,000 for each Board meeting attended. Each Independent Trustee is reimbursed by the Fund
for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings. All Board committee members receive $500 per meeting attended. In addition,
the Audit Committee Chairman receives an annual fee of $2,000, the Nominating Committee Chairman receives an annual fee of $2,000, and
the Lead Independent Trustee receives an annual fee of $1,000. A Trustee may receive a single meeting fee, allocated among the participating
funds, for participation in certain meetings on behalf of multiple funds. The aggregate remuneration (excluding out-of-pocket expenses)
paid by the Fund to such Trustees during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, amounted to $103,875. During the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2024, the Trustees of the Fund met four times, all of which were regular quarterly Board meetings. Each Trustee then serving
in such capacity attended at least 75% of the Board meetings and of any committee of which he or she is a member.
The Audit Committee and Audit Committee Report
The role of the Fund’s Audit
Committee is to assist the Board of Trustees in its oversight of: (i) the quality and integrity of the Fund’s financial statement
reporting process and the independent audit and reviews thereof; (ii) the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and
practices, its internal controls, and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain of its service providers; (iii) the Fund’s
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; and (iv) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications,
independence, and performance. The Audit Committee also is required to prepare an audit committee report pursuant to the rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for inclusion in the Fund’s annual proxy statement. The
Audit Committee operates pursuant to the Audit Committee Charter (the “Audit Charter”) that was most recently
reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees on November 13, 2024. The Audit Charter is available in the Closed-End Funds – Corporate
Governance Section on the Fund’s website at www.gabelli.com.
Pursuant to the Audit Charter,
the Audit Committee is responsible for conferring with the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, reviewing annual
financial statements, approving the selection of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, and overseeing the Fund’s
internal controls. The Audit Charter also contains provisions relating to the pre-approval by the Audit Committee of audit and non-audit
services to be provided by Tait Weller & Baker LLP (“Tait Weller”), the Fund’s independent registered public accounting
firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, to the Fund and to the Adviser and certain of its affiliates. The Audit Committee
advises the full Board with respect to accounting, auditing, and financial matters affecting the Fund. As set forth in the Audit Charter,
management is responsible for maintaining appropriate systems for accounting and internal control, and the Fund’s independent registered
public accounting firm is responsible for planning and carrying out proper audits and reviews. The independent registered public accounting
firm is ultimately accountable to the Board of Trustees and to the Audit Committee, as representatives of shareholders. The independent
registered public accounting firm for the Fund reports directly to the Audit Committee.
In performing its oversight function,
at a meeting held on November 8, 2024, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management of the Fund and Tait Weller the audited
financial statements of the Fund as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, and the conduct of the audit of such financial
statements.
In addition, the Audit Committee
discussed with Tait Weller the accounting principles applied by the Fund and such other matters brought to the attention of the Audit
Committee by Tait Weller as required by PCAOB auditing
standards and rules. The Audit Committee also received
from Tait Weller the written disclosures and statements required by the SEC’s independence rules, delineating relationships between
Tait Weller and the Fund, and discussed the impact that any such relationships might have on the objectivity and independence of Tait
Weller as the independent registered public accounting firm.
As set forth above, and as more
fully set forth in the Audit Charter, the Audit Committee has significant duties and powers in its oversight role with respect to the
Fund’s financial reporting procedures, internal control systems, and the independent audit process.
The members of the Audit
Committee are not, and do not represent themselves to be, professionally engaged in the practice of auditing or accounting and are
not employed by the Fund for accounting, financial management, or internal control purposes. Moreover, the Audit Committee relies on
and makes no independent verification of the facts presented to it or representations made by management or the Fund’s
independent registered public accounting firm. Accordingly, the Audit Committee’s oversight does not provide an independent
basis to determine that management has maintained appropriate accounting and/or financial reporting principles and policies, or
internal controls and procedures, designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations.
Furthermore, the Audit Committee’s considerations and discussions referred to above do not provide assurance that the audit of
the Fund’s financial statements has been carried out in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB or that the financial
statements are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Based on its consideration of the
audited financial statements and the discussions referred to above with management and Tait Weller, and subject to the limitations on
the responsibilities and role of the Audit Committee set forth in the Audit Charter and those discussed above, the Audit Committee recommended
to the Fund’s Board of Trustees that the Fund’s audited financial statements be included in the Fund’s Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.
Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Fund’s Board of Trustees
Daniel D. Harding, Chairman
Kinchen C. Bizzell
Elizabeth C. Bogan
November 8, 2024
The Audit Committee met two times
during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. The Audit Committee is composed of three of the Fund’s Independent Trustees, Messrs.
Harding (Chairman) and Bizzell, and Dr. Bogan. The Fund has certified that each member of the Audit Committee is able to read and understand
fundamental financial statements, including those of the Fund. Mr. Harding has been designated as the Fund’s audit committee financial
expert, as defined in Items 407(d)(5)(ii) and (iii) of Regulation S-K (the “Audit Committee Financial Expert”).
Nominating Committee
The Board of Trustees has a Nominating
Committee composed of three of the Fund’s Independent Trustees, Messrs. Melarkey (Chairman), Fahrenkopf, Jr., and Platt. Each Nominating
Committee Member is an Independent Trustee as determined under guidelines of the NYSE American. The Nominating Committee met once during
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. The Nominating Committee is responsible for identifying and recommending qualified candidates
to the Board in the event that a position is vacated or created. In considering candidates submitted by shareholders, the Nominating
Committee will take into consideration the needs of the Board, the qualifications of the candidate, and the interests of shareholders.
The Nominating Committee may also take into consideration the number of shares held by the recommending shareholder and the length of
time that such shares have been held. To recommend a candidate for consideration by the Nominating Committee, a shareholder must submit
the recommendation in writing and must include the following information in addition to any information required by the Fund’s
By-Laws:
| • | The
name of the shareholder and evidence of the shareholder’s ownership of shares of the
Fund, including the number of shares owned and the length of time of ownership; |
| • | The
name of the candidate, the candidate’s resume or a listing of his or her qualifications
to be a Trustee of the Fund, and the person’s consent to be named as a Trustee if selected
by the Nominating Committee and nominated by the Board of Trustees; and |
| • | If
requested by the Nominating Committee, a completed and signed trustee’s questionnaire. |
In addition, the Nominating Committee
may request any additional information it deems necessary, relevant or desirable to discharge its responsibility to review the qualifications,
skills, qualities and other relevant factors of any trustee nominee recommended by a shareholder, and shareholders recommending a trustee
candidate for nomination by the Nominating Committee are encouraged to provide all other information that would be required to be submitted
under the Fund’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws in the event such shareholders were nominating such trustee candidate for election
on their own.
The shareholder recommendation
and information described above must be sent to the Fund’s Secretary, c/o Gabelli Funds, LLC, One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422,
and must be received by the Secretary not less than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the Fund’s most recent annual meeting
of shareholders or, if the meeting has moved by more than 30 days, a reasonable amount of time before the meeting.
The Nominating Committee believes
that the minimum qualifications for serving as a Trustee of the Fund are that the individual demonstrate, by significant accomplishment
in his or her field, an ability to make a meaningful contribution to the Board of Trustees’ oversight of the business and affairs
of the Fund and have an impeccable record and reputation for honest and ethical conduct in both his or her professional and personal
activities. In addition, the Nominating Committee examines a candidate’s specific experiences and skills, time availability in
light of other commitments, potential conflicts of interest, and independence from management and the Fund. The Fund has adopted specific
Trustee qualification requirements that can be found in the Fund’s By-Laws and are applicable to all individuals who may be nominated,
elected, appointed, qualified or seated to serve as Trustees. The qualification requirements include: (i) age limits (at least 21 years
of age and such maximum age as the Trustees may in the future determine); (ii) prohibitions regarding any legal disability; (iii) limits
on service on other boards; (iv) restrictions on relationships with investment advisers other than the Fund’s adviser; and (v)
character and fitness requirements. Additionally, each Independent Trustee must not be an “interested person”
of the Fund as defined under Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act and may not be or have certain relationships with a shareholder beneficially
owning five percent or more of the Fund’s outstanding shares or specified levels of interest in registered investment companies.
The Fund’s By-Laws also provide that a majority of the Trustees then in office may determine by resolution that a failure to satisfy
a particular qualification requirement will not present undue conflicts or impede the ability of the candidate to discharge the duties
of a Trustee or the free flow of information among Trustees or between the Fund’s adviser and the Board. Reference is made to the
Fund’s By-Laws for more details.
The Nominating Committee also considers
the overall composition of the Board, bearing in mind the benefits that may be derived from having members who have a variety of experiences,
qualifications, attributes, or skills useful in overseeing a publicly traded, highly regulated entity such as the Fund. The Nominating
Committee does not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of diversity in identifying trustee candidates. For a discussion
of experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills supporting the appropriateness of each Trustee’s service on the Fund’s
Board, see the biographical information of the Trustees above in the section entitled “Information About Trustees and Officers.”
The Board of Trustees adopted a Nominating Committee Charter on November 18, 2015. The charter is available in the Closed-End Funds –
Corporate Governance Section on the Fund’s website at www.gabelli.com.
Other Board Related Matters
The Board of Trustees has established
the following procedures in order to facilitate communications among the Board and the shareholders of the Fund and other interested
parties.
Receipt of Communications
Shareholders and other interested
parties may contact the Board or any member of the Board by mail or electronically. To communicate with the Board or any member of the
Board, correspondence should be addressed to the Board or the Board member(s) with whom you wish to communicate either by name or title.
All such correspondence should be sent
to Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd., c/o Gabelli
Funds, LLC, One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422. To communicate with the Board electronically, shareholders may go to the corporate
website at www.gabelli.com under the heading “Contact Us/Contact Information/Email/Board of Directors (Gabelli Closed-End
Funds).”
Forwarding the Communications
All communications received will
be opened by the office of the General Counsel of the Adviser for the sole purpose of determining whether the contents represent a message
to one or more Trustees. The office of the General Counsel will forward promptly to the addressee(s) any contents that relate to the
Fund and that are not in the nature of advertising, promotions of a product or service, or patently offensive or otherwise objectionable
material. In the case of communications to the Board of Trustees or any committee or group of members of the Board, the General Counsel’s
office will make sufficient copies of the contents to send to each Trustee who is a member of the group or committee to which the envelope
or e-mail is addressed.
The Fund does not expect Trustees
or nominees for election as Trustee to attend the Meeting. No Trustee or nominee for election as Trustee attended the Fund’s annual
meeting of shareholders held on May 13, 2024.
The following table sets forth certain information regarding
the compensation of the Trustees and officers, if any, who were compensated by the Fund rather than the Adviser, for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2024, and by the Fund Complex for the calendar year ended December 31, 2024.
COMPENSATION TABLE
Name
of Person and Position |
|
Aggregate
Compensation from
the Fund*
|
|
Aggregate Compensation from
the Fund and Fund Complex
Paid to Trustees** |
INTERESTED TRUSTEES/NOMINEE: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mario J. Gabelli |
$ |
0 |
|
$ |
0 |
(31) |
Chairman |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James A. Dinsmore |
$ |
0 |
|
$ |
0 |
(1) |
President and Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES/NOMINEES: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kinchen C. Bizzell |
$ |
13,500 |
|
$ |
27,000 |
(2) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth C. Bogan |
$ |
13,500 |
|
$ |
152,000 |
(12) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James P. Conn |
$ |
13,500 |
|
$ |
288,500 |
(23) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. |
$ |
9,375 |
|
$ |
159,500 |
(11) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daniel D. Harding |
$ |
14,500 |
|
$ |
34,250 |
(3) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colin J. Kilrain*** |
$ |
0 |
|
$ |
0 |
(2) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael J. Melarkey |
$ |
14,500 |
|
$ |
189,000 |
(24) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nicolas W. Platt |
$ |
12,500 |
|
$ |
31,646 |
(3) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anthonie C. van Ekris |
$ |
12,500 |
|
$ |
212,000 |
(23) |
Trustee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
Represents total compensation paid to such persons by the Fund during
the Fund’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. |
** |
Represents the total compensation paid to such persons during the calendar year
ended December 31, 2024 by investment companies (including the Fund) or portfolios that are considered part of the Fund Complex.
The number in parentheses represents the number of such investment companies and portfolios. |
*** |
Mr. Kilrain became a Trustee of the Fund on February 13, 2025. |
Required Vote
The election of each of the listed
nominees for Trustee of the Fund requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the Common Shares of the Fund present
or represented by proxy at the Meeting if a quorum is present. A “plurality” vote means that the nominees who
receive the largest number of votes cast (even if they receive less than a majority) will be elected as trustees. Since the nominees
are running unopposed, each nominee only needs one vote to be elected if there is a quorum present at the Meeting.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, INCLUDING
THE INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES, UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT THE COMMON SHAREHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH
NOMINEE.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm
Tait Weller, 50 South 16th Street,
Suite 2900, Philadelphia, PA 19102, has been selected to serve as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Tait Weller acted as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. The Fund knows of no direct financial or material indirect financial interest of Tait Weller in
the Fund. A representative of Tait Weller will not be present at the Meeting, but will be available by telephone and will have an opportunity
to make a statement, if asked, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
Set forth in the table below are
audit fees and non-audit related fees billed to the Fund by Tait Weller for professional services received during the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Fiscal
Year Ended
September 30 |
|
Audit
Fees |
|
Audit
Related Fees |
|
Tax
Fees* |
|
All
Other Fees |
2023 |
|
$21,600 |
|
— |
|
$3,500 |
|
— |
2024 |
|
$21,600 |
|
— |
|
$3,500 |
|
— |
| * | “Tax
Fees” are those fees billed by Tait Weller in connection with tax compliance
services, including primarily the review of the Fund’s income tax returns. |
The Fund’s Audit Charter
requires that the Audit Committee pre-approve all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public
accounting firm to the Fund, and all non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm to the
Fund’s Adviser and service providers controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Fund’s Adviser
(“affiliates”) that provide ongoing services to the Fund (a “Covered Services
Provider”), if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund. The Audit
Committee may delegate its responsibility to pre-approve any such audit and permissible non-audit services to the Chairman of the
Audit Committee, and the Chairman must report his or her decision(s) to the Audit Committee, at its next regularly scheduled meeting
after the Chairman’s pre-approval of such services. The Audit Committee may also establish detailed pre-approval policies and
procedures for pre-approval of such services in accordance with applicable laws, including the delegation of some or all of the
Audit Committee’s pre-approval responsibilities to other persons (other than the Adviser or the Fund’s officers).
Pre-approval by the Audit Committee of any permissible non-audit services is not required so long as: (i) the aggregate amount of
all such permissible non-audit services provided to the Fund, the Adviser, and any Covered Services Provider constitutes not more
than 5% of the total amount of revenues paid by the Fund to its independent registered public accounting firm during the year in
which the permissible non-audit services are provided; (ii) the permissible non-audit services were not recognized by the Fund at
the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and (iii) such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Audit
Committee and approved by the Audit Committee or the Chairman prior to the completion of the audit. All of the audit, audit related,
and tax services described above for which Tait Weller billed the Fund fees for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023 and
September 30, 2024, were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.
For the fiscal years ended September
30, 2023 and 2024, Tait Weller has represented to the Fund that it did not provide any non-audit services (or bill any fees for such
services) to the Adviser or any Covered Services Provider.
The Audit Committee was not required
to consider whether the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the Adviser or Covered Service Providers that were not
pre-approved was compatible with maintaining Tait Weller’s independence.
The Investment Adviser and Administrator
Gabelli Funds, LLC is the Fund’s Adviser and
Administrator and its business address is One Corporate Center, Rye, New York 10580-1422.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act
and Section 30(h) of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, require the Fund’s executive officers and Trustees, executive officers
and directors of the Adviser, certain other affiliated persons of the Adviser, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class
of the Fund’s securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC and the NYSE American and to furnish
the Fund with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on the Fund’s review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto
filed electronically with the SEC during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, the Fund believes that during that year such persons
complied with all such applicable filing requirements.
Broker Non-Votes and Abstentions
For purposes of determining the
presence of a quorum for transacting business at the Meeting, abstentions (or “withheld votes” with respect
to the election of Trustees) and broker “non-votes” (that is, proxies from brokers or nominees indicating that
such persons 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 power) will be treated as shares that are present but that have
not been voted. Accordingly, shareholders are urged to forward their voting instructions promptly.
Because the Fund requires a plurality
of votes to elect each nominee for Trustee, abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will not be counted as votes cast, but will have
no effect on the result of the vote. Abstentions and any broker non-votes, however, will be considered to be present at the Meeting for
purposes of determining the existence of a quorum.
Brokers holding shares of the
Fund in “street name” for the benefit of their customers and clients will request the instructions of such
customers and clients on how to vote their shares on Proposal 1 before the Meeting. Under the rules of the NYSE, such brokers may, for
certain “routine” matters, grant discretionary authority to the proxies designated by the Board to vote if
no instructions have been received from their customers and clients prior to the date specified in the brokers’ request for voting
instructions. Proposal 1 is a “routine” matter and accordingly beneficial owners who do not provide proxy instructions
or who do not return a proxy card may have their shares voted by broker-dealer firms in favor of Proposal 1. A properly executed proxy
card or other authorization by a beneficial owner of shares that does not specify how the beneficial owner’s shares should be voted
on Proposal 1 may be deemed an instruction to vote such shares in favor of the proposal.
Shareholders of the Fund will
be informed of the voting results of the Meeting in the Fund’s Semiannual Report for the six months ended March 31, 2025.
“Householding”
Please note that only one document
(i.e., an annual or semiannual report or set of proxy soliciting materials) may be delivered to two or more shareholders of the Fund
who share an address, unless the Fund has received instructions to the contrary. To request a separate copy of a document, or for instructions
regarding how to request a separate copy of these documents or regarding how to request a single copy if multiple copies of these documents
are received, shareholders should contact the Fund at the address and phone number set forth above.
Delaware Statutory Trust Act – Control Share Acquisitions
The Fund is organized as a Delaware
statutory trust and thus is subject to the control share acquisition statute contained in Subchapter III of the Delaware Statutory Trust
Act (the “DSTA Control Share Statute”). The DSTA Control Share Statute applies to any closed-end investment company organized
as a Delaware statutory trust and listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Fund. The DSTA Control Share Statute became automatically
applicable to the Fund on August 1, 2022.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
defines “control beneficial interests” (referred to as “control shares” herein) by reference to a series of voting
power thresholds and provides that a holder of control shares acquired in a control share
acquisition has no voting rights under the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act (“DSTA”) or the Fund’s Governing Documents (as used herein, “Governing Documents” means
the Fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws, together with any amendments
or supplements thereto, including any Statement of Preferences establishing a series of preferred shares) with respect to the control
shares acquired in the control share acquisition, except to the extent approved by the Fund’s shareholders by the affirmative vote
of two–thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares (generally, shares held by the
acquiring person and their associates and shares held by Fund insiders).
The DSTA Control Share Statute
provides for a series of voting power thresholds above which shares are considered control shares. Whether one of these thresholds of
voting power is met is determined by aggregating the holdings of the acquiring person as well as those of his, her or its “associates.”
These thresholds are:
| • | 10%
or more, but less than 15% of all voting power; |
| • | 15%
or more, but less than 20% of all voting power; |
| • | 20%
or more, but less than 25% of all voting power; |
| • | 25%
or more, but less than 30% of all voting power; |
| • | 30%
or more, but less than a majority of all voting power; or |
| • | a
majority or more of all voting power. |
Under the DSTA Control Share Statute,
once a threshold is reached, an acquirer has no voting rights with respect to shares in excess of that threshold (i.e., the “control
shares”) until approved by a vote of shareholders, as described above, or otherwise exempted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
The DSTA Control Share Statute contains a statutory process for an acquiring person to request a shareholder meeting for the purpose
of considering the voting rights to be accorded control shares. An acquiring person must repeat this process at each threshold level.
Under the DSTA Control Share Statute,
an acquiring person’s “associates” are broadly defined to include, among others, relatives of the acquiring person,
anyone in a control relationship with the acquiring person, any investment fund or other collective investment vehicle that has the same
investment adviser as the acquiring person, any investment adviser of an acquiring person that is an investment fund or other collective
investment vehicle and any other person acting or intending to act jointly or in concert with the acquiring person.
Voting power under the DSTA Control
Share Statute is the power (whether such power is direct or indirect or through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship
or otherwise) to directly or indirectly exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of shares of the Fund in the election of
the Fund’s Trustees (either generally or with respect to any subset, series or class of trustees, including any Trustees elected
solely by a particular series or class of shares, such as the preferred shares). Thus, Fund preferred shares, including the Series A
and Series B Preferred Shares, acquired in excess of the above thresholds would be considered control shares with respect to the preferred
share class vote for two Trustees.
Any control shares of the Fund
acquired before August 1, 2022, are not subject to the DSTA Control Share Statute; however, any further acquisitions on or after August
1, 2022, are considered control shares subject to the DSTA Control Share Statute.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
requires shareholders to disclose to the Fund any control share acquisition within 10 days of such acquisition, and also permits the
Fund to require a shareholder or an associate of such person to disclose the number of shares owned or with respect to which such person
or an associate thereof can directly or indirectly exercise voting power. Further, the DSTA Control Share Statute requires a shareholder
or an associate of such person to provide to the Fund within 10 days of receiving a request therefor from the Fund any information that
the Fund’s Trustees reasonably believe is necessary or desirable to determine whether a control share acquisition has occurred.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
permits the Fund’s Board of Trustees, through a provision in the Fund’s Governing Documents or by Board action alone, to
eliminate the application of the DSTA Control Share Statute to the acquisition of control shares in the Fund specifically, generally,
or generally by types, as to specifically identified or unidentified existing or future beneficial owners or their affiliates or associates
or as to any series or classes of shares. The DSTA Control Share Statute does not provide that the Fund can generally “opt out”
of the application of
the DSTA Control Share Statute; rather, specific acquisitions or
classes of acquisitions may be exempted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, either in advance or retroactively, but other aspects
of the DSTA Control Share Statute, which are summarized above, would continue to apply. The DSTA Control Share Statute further
provides that the Board of Trustees is under no obligation to grant any such exemptions.
The
Board of Trustees of the Fund has adopted resolutions exempting from the application of the DSTA Control Share Statute all acquisitions
of preferred shares of beneficial interest of the Fund directly from the Fund or the Fund’s distributor, underwriter, placement
agent or selling agent, as applicable.
The foregoing is only a
summary of the material term of the DSTA Control Share Statute. Shareholders should consult their own counsel with respect to the
application of the DSTA Control Share Statute to any particular circumstance. Some uncertainty around the general application of
state control share statutes under the 1940 Act exists as a result of recent federal and state court decisions that found that
certain control share by-laws and the opting in to state control share statutes violated the 1940 Act. Additionally, in some
circumstances uncertainty may also exist in how to enforce the control share restrictions contained in state control share statutes
against beneficial owners who hold their shares through financial intermediaries. The Board of Trustees has considered the DSTA
Control Share Statute and the uncertainty around the general application of the state control share statutes under the 1940 Act and
enforcement of state control share statutes. The Board of Trustees intends to continue to monitor developments relating to the DSTA
Control Share Statute and state control share statutes generally.
OTHER MATTERS TO COME
BEFORE THE MEETING
The Trustees of the Fund do not
intend to present any other business at the Meeting, nor are they aware that any shareholder intends to do so. If, however, any other
matters, including adjournments, are properly brought before the Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy will vote thereon
in accordance with their judgment.
SHAREHOLDER NOMINATIONS
AND PROPOSALS
All proposals by shareholders of
the Fund that are intended to be presented pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the 1934 Act (“Rule 14a-8”) at the
Fund’s next Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2026 (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) must be received
by the Fund for consideration for inclusion in the Fund’s 2026 proxy statement and 2026 proxy relating to that meeting no later
than December 3, 2025. Rule 14a-8 specifies a number of procedural and eligibility requirements to be satisfied by a shareholder submitting
a proposal for inclusion in the Fund’s proxy materials pursuant to Rule 14a-8. Any shareholder contemplating submissions of such
a proposal is referred to Rule 14a-8.
The Fund’s By-Laws require
shareholders that wish to nominate Trustees or make proposals to be voted on at an Annual Meeting of the Fund’s Shareholders (and
which are not proposed to be included in the Fund’s proxy materials pursuant to Rule 14a-8) to provide timely notice of the nomination
or proposal in writing. To be considered timely for the 2026 Annual Meeting, the shareholder notice (and information summarized below
and described fully in the Fund’s By-Laws) must be sent to the Fund’s Secretary, c/o Gabelli Funds, LLC, One Corporate Center,
Rye, NY 10580-1422, and must be received by the Secretary no earlier than December 13, 2025 and no later than January 12, 2026; provided,
however, that if the 2026 Annual Meeting is to be held on a date that is earlier than April 17, 2026 or later than June 6, 2026, such
notice must be so received not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the date on which notice of the date of the
annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting was made, whichever occurred first. In no event shall
the adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting, or the public announcement of such an adjournment or postponement, commence a new
time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a shareholder’s notice as described above.
In order for a shareholder of record
to propose a nominee for Trustee, such shareholder must furnish written notice setting forth specified information about the nominee
and associates of the nominee, the shareholder(s) of record (and if different, each beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is
being made) and associates of the shareholder(s), as well as an executed certificate by the nominee relating to the nominee’s disclosure
of any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Fund in connection with service as a Trustee
of the Fund, the nominee’s consent to serve as a Trustee if elected and the nominee’s satisfaction of the Trustee qualifications
set forth in the Fund’s governing documents. If requested by the Nominating Committee, the proposing shareholder will need to also
submit a completed and signed trustee’s questionnaire, including a supplement, relating to the nominee’s satisfaction of
the qualifications requirements set forth in the governing documents.
The foregoing description of the
procedures for a shareholder of the Fund properly to make a nomination for election to the Board or to propose other business for the
Fund is only a summary and is not complete. Copies of the Fund’s governing documents, including the provisions that concern the
requirements for shareholder nominations and proposals, are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
The Fund will also furnish, without charge, a copy of its governing documents to a shareholder upon request, which may be requested by
writing to the Fund’s Secretary, c/o Gabelli Funds, LLC, One Corporate Center, Rye, NY 10580-1422. Any shareholder of the Fund
considering making a nomination or other proposal should carefully review and comply with those provisions of the Fund’s governing
documents.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PROXIES BE RETURNED PROMPTLY.
SHAREHOLDERS MAY PROVIDE THEIR
VOTE BY TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET BY FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THE PROXY CARD, VOTING INSTRUCTION FORM OR SET FORTH IN
THE NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS.
April 2, 2025
(This Page Intentionally Left Blank.)
(This Page Intentionally Left Blank.)
(This Page Intentionally Left Blank.)
ECF-PS-2025






v3.25.1
N-2
|
Apr. 02, 2025 |
Cover [Abstract] |
|
Entity Central Index Key |
0000793040
|
Amendment Flag |
false
|
Document Type |
DEF 14A
|
Entity Registrant Name |
Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd.
|
Capital Stock, Long-Term Debt, and Other Securities [Abstract] |
|
Security Voting Rights [Text Block] |
Delaware Statutory Trust Act – Control Share Acquisitions
The Fund is organized as a Delaware
statutory trust and thus is subject to the control share acquisition statute contained in Subchapter III of the Delaware Statutory Trust
Act (the “DSTA Control Share Statute”). The DSTA Control Share Statute applies to any closed-end investment company organized
as a Delaware statutory trust and listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Fund. The DSTA Control Share Statute became automatically
applicable to the Fund on August 1, 2022.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
defines “control beneficial interests” (referred to as “control shares” herein) by reference to a series of voting
power thresholds and provides that a holder of control shares acquired in a control share
acquisition has no voting rights under the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act (“DSTA”) or the Fund’s Governing Documents (as used herein, “Governing Documents” means
the Fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws, together with any amendments
or supplements thereto, including any Statement of Preferences establishing a series of preferred shares) with respect to the control
shares acquired in the control share acquisition, except to the extent approved by the Fund’s shareholders by the affirmative vote
of two–thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares (generally, shares held by the
acquiring person and their associates and shares held by Fund insiders).
The DSTA Control Share Statute
provides for a series of voting power thresholds above which shares are considered control shares. Whether one of these thresholds of
voting power is met is determined by aggregating the holdings of the acquiring person as well as those of his, her or its “associates.”
These thresholds are:
| • | 10%
or more, but less than 15% of all voting power; |
| • | 15%
or more, but less than 20% of all voting power; |
| • | 20%
or more, but less than 25% of all voting power; |
| • | 25%
or more, but less than 30% of all voting power; |
| • | 30%
or more, but less than a majority of all voting power; or |
| • | a
majority or more of all voting power. |
Under the DSTA Control Share Statute,
once a threshold is reached, an acquirer has no voting rights with respect to shares in excess of that threshold (i.e., the “control
shares”) until approved by a vote of shareholders, as described above, or otherwise exempted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
The DSTA Control Share Statute contains a statutory process for an acquiring person to request a shareholder meeting for the purpose
of considering the voting rights to be accorded control shares. An acquiring person must repeat this process at each threshold level.
Under the DSTA Control Share Statute,
an acquiring person’s “associates” are broadly defined to include, among others, relatives of the acquiring person,
anyone in a control relationship with the acquiring person, any investment fund or other collective investment vehicle that has the same
investment adviser as the acquiring person, any investment adviser of an acquiring person that is an investment fund or other collective
investment vehicle and any other person acting or intending to act jointly or in concert with the acquiring person.
Voting power under the DSTA Control
Share Statute is the power (whether such power is direct or indirect or through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship
or otherwise) to directly or indirectly exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of shares of the Fund in the election of
the Fund’s Trustees (either generally or with respect to any subset, series or class of trustees, including any Trustees elected
solely by a particular series or class of shares, such as the preferred shares). Thus, Fund preferred shares, including the Series A
and Series B Preferred Shares, acquired in excess of the above thresholds would be considered control shares with respect to the preferred
share class vote for two Trustees.
Any control shares of the Fund
acquired before August 1, 2022, are not subject to the DSTA Control Share Statute; however, any further acquisitions on or after August
1, 2022, are considered control shares subject to the DSTA Control Share Statute.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
requires shareholders to disclose to the Fund any control share acquisition within 10 days of such acquisition, and also permits the
Fund to require a shareholder or an associate of such person to disclose the number of shares owned or with respect to which such person
or an associate thereof can directly or indirectly exercise voting power. Further, the DSTA Control Share Statute requires a shareholder
or an associate of such person to provide to the Fund within 10 days of receiving a request therefor from the Fund any information that
the Fund’s Trustees reasonably believe is necessary or desirable to determine whether a control share acquisition has occurred.
The DSTA Control Share Statute
permits the Fund’s Board of Trustees, through a provision in the Fund’s Governing Documents or by Board action alone, to
eliminate the application of the DSTA Control Share Statute to the acquisition of control shares in the Fund specifically, generally,
or generally by types, as to specifically identified or unidentified existing or future beneficial owners or their affiliates or associates
or as to any series or classes of shares. The DSTA Control Share Statute does not provide that the Fund can generally “opt out”
of the application of
the DSTA Control Share Statute; rather, specific acquisitions or
classes of acquisitions may be exempted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees, either in advance or retroactively, but other aspects
of the DSTA Control Share Statute, which are summarized above, would continue to apply. The DSTA Control Share Statute further
provides that the Board of Trustees is under no obligation to grant any such exemptions.
The
Board of Trustees of the Fund has adopted resolutions exempting from the application of the DSTA Control Share Statute all acquisitions
of preferred shares of beneficial interest of the Fund directly from the Fund or the Fund’s distributor, underwriter, placement
agent or selling agent, as applicable.
The foregoing is only a
summary of the material term of the DSTA Control Share Statute. Shareholders should consult their own counsel with respect to the
application of the DSTA Control Share Statute to any particular circumstance. Some uncertainty around the general application of
state control share statutes under the 1940 Act exists as a result of recent federal and state court decisions that found that
certain control share by-laws and the opting in to state control share statutes violated the 1940 Act. Additionally, in some
circumstances uncertainty may also exist in how to enforce the control share restrictions contained in state control share statutes
against beneficial owners who hold their shares through financial intermediaries. The Board of Trustees has considered the DSTA
Control Share Statute and the uncertainty around the general application of the state control share statutes under the 1940 Act and
enforcement of state control share statutes. The Board of Trustees intends to continue to monitor developments relating to the DSTA
Control Share Statute and state control share statutes generally.
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