DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
This Agreement made as of July 1, 2025 by and between Chesapeake Investment Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, and Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company (“Distributor”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”); and
WHEREAS, Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (the “FINRA”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust and Distributor are desirous of entering into an agreement providing for the distribution by Distributor of shares of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) of each series of shares of the Trust listed on Schedule A attached hereto (the “Series”), as such Schedule A may be amended from time to time;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and agreements of the parties contained herein, the parties agree as follows:
| 1. | Appointment. |
The Trust hereby appoints Distributor as its exclusive agent for the distribution of the Shares, and Distributor hereby accepts such appointment under the terms of this Agreement. While this Agreement is in force, the Trust shall not sell any Shares except on the terms set forth in this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, the Trust may terminate, suspend or withdraw the offering of Shares whenever, in its sole discretion, it deems such action to be desirable.
| 2. | Sale and Repurchase of Shares. |
| (b) | Distributor will also have the right, as agent for the Trust, to sell such Shares to the public against orders therefor at the public offering price. |
| (c) | Distributor will also have the right to take, as agent for the Trust, all actions which, in Distributor’s reasonable judgment, are necessary to carry into effect the distribution of the Shares. |
| (g) | Upon receipt of purchase instructions, Distributor will transmit such instructions to the Trust or its transfer agent for the issuance and registration of the Shares purchased. |
| (i) | Distributor, as agent of and for the account of the Trust, may repurchase the Shares at such prices and upon such terms and conditions as shall be specified in the Registration Statement. |
| 3. | Sale of Shares by the Trust. |
The Trust reserves the right to issue any Shares at any time directly to the holders of Shares (“Shareholders”), to sell Shares to its Shareholders or to other persons at not less than net asset value and to issue Shares in exchange for substantially all the assets of any corporation or trust or for the shares of any corporation or trust.
| 4. | Basis of Sale of Shares. |
Distributor does not agree to sell any specific number of Shares. Distributor, as agent for the Trust, undertakes to sell Shares on a best efforts basis only against orders therefor.
| 5. | Rules of FINRA, etc. |
| 6. | Records to be Supplied. |
The Trust shall furnish to Distributor copies of all information, financial statements and other papers which Distributor may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of the Shares, and this shall include, but shall not be limited to, one certified copy, upon request by Distributor, of all financial statements prepared for the Trust by independent public accountants.
Distributor shall provide to the Trust, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts expended by the Trust under any plan of distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act adopted by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
| 7. | Fees and Expenses. |
| 8. | Indemnification of Trust. |
Distributor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and each person who has been, is, or may hereafter be a Trustee, officer, employee, shareholder or control person of the Trust against any loss, damage or expense (including the reasonable costs of investigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred by any of them in connection with any claim or in connection with any action, suit or proceeding to which any of them may be a party, which arises out of or is alleged to arise out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact, or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact necessary to make the statements not misleading, on the part of Distributor or any agent or employee of Distributor or any other person for whose acts Distributor is responsible, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon written information furnished by the Trust; (ii) Distributor’s failure to exercise reasonable care and diligence with respect to its services, if any, rendered in connection with investment, reinvestment, automatic withdrawal and other plans for Shares; (iii) Distributor’s failure to comply with applicable laws and the Rules of FINRA; and (iv) Distributor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. The Distributor will advance attorneys’ fees or other expenses incurred by any such person in defending a proceeding, upon the undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay the advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification. The term “expenses” for purposes of this and the next paragraph includes amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments or in settlements which are made with Distributor’s consent. The foregoing rights of indemnification shall be in addition to any other rights to which the Trust or each such person may be entitled as a matter of law.
| 9. | Indemnification of Distributor. |
The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Distributor and each person who has been, is, or may hereafter be a director, officer, employee, shareholder or control person of Distributor against any loss, damage or expense (including the reasonable costs of investigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred by any of them in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from the failure of Distributor or any such other person to comply with applicable law or the terms of this Agreement, or from willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence, including clerical errors and mechanical failures, on the part of any of such persons in the performance of Distributor’s duties or from the reckless disregard by any of such persons of Distributor’s obligations and duties under this Agreement, for all of which exceptions Distributor shall be liable to the Trust. The Trust will advance attorneys’ fees or other expenses incurred by any such person in defending a proceeding, upon the undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay the advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification.
In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Paragraph 9 shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the Trust may be asked to indemnify Distributor or any other person or hold Distributor or any other person harmless, the Trust shall be fully and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is further understood that Distributor will use all reasonable care to identify and notify the Trust promptly concerning any situation which presents or appears likely to present the probability of such a claim for indemnification against the Trust. The Trust shall have the option to defend Distributor and any such person against any claim which may be the subject of this indemnification, and in the event that the Trust so elects it will so notify Distributor, and thereupon the Trust shall take over complete defense of the claim, and neither Distributor nor any such person shall in such situation initiate further legal or other expenses for which it shall seek indemnification under this Paragraph 9. If the Trust elects to assume the defense of any such claim, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the Trust and reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, as long as the Trust is conducting a good faith and diligent defense. or shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the Trust will be asked to indemnify Distributor or any such person except with the Trust’s written consent.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, Distributor shall be entitled to receive and act upon advice of counsel (who may be counsel for the Trust or its own counsel) and shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or thing reasonably done pursuant to such advice, provided that such action is not in violation of applicable federal or state laws or regulations.
| 10. | Representations of the Parties. |
binding obligation of Distributor, enforceable against Distributor in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties; (3) Distributor is duly registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and is a member of FINRA, and such registration and membership will remain in full force and effect for the duration of this Agreement; and (4) Distributor has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement. Distributor further represents that it will inform the Trust immediately in the event there is a material adverse change in its financial condition or as soon as practicable in anticipation of any change in “control” of Distributor, as that term is defined by the Act.
| 11. | Termination and Amendment of this Agreement. |
This Agreement shall automatically terminate, without the payment of any penalty, in the event of its "assignment" by Distributor, as that term is defined by the Act. The Trust may terminate this Agreement at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of any plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act with respect to any class of a series portfolio of the Trust or in any agreements related to such a plan, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of such company on sixty (60) days' written notice to the Distributor. The Distributor may terminate this Agreement at any time on sixty (60) days’ written notice delivered or mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid, to the other party.
This Agreement may be amended only if such amendment is approved (i) by Distributor and (ii) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the approval of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust or of Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
| 12. | Effective Period of this Agreement. |
This Agreement shall take effect upon its execution and shall remain in full force and effect for an initial term of two (2) years from the date of its execution (unless terminated as set forth in Section 11), and shall continue in effect from year to year thereafter, subject to annual approval of such continuance by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the approval of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust or of Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
| 13. | Successor Investment Company. |
Unless this Agreement has been terminated in accordance with Paragraph 11, the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall become automatically applicable to any investment company which is a successor to the Trust as a result of recapitalization or change of domicile.
| 14. | Insurance. |
Distributor shall furnish the Trust with pertinent information concerning the professional liability coverage that it maintains. Such information shall include the identity of the insurance carrier(s), coverage levels and deductible amounts. Distributor shall notify the Trust should any of its insurance coverage be canceled or reduced. Such notification shall include the date of change and the reasons therefor. Distributor shall notify the Trust of any material claims against it with respect to services performed under this Agreement, whether or not they may be covered by insurance, and shall notify
the Trust from time to time as may be appropriate of the total outstanding claims made by Distributor under its insurance coverage.
| 15. | Limitation of Liability. |
It is expressly agreed that the obligations of the Trust hereunder shall not be binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents or employees of the Trust, personally, but bind only the trust property of the Trust. The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been authorized by the Trustees of the Trust and signed by an officer of the Trust, acting as such, and neither such authorization by such Trustees nor such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Trust. If a matter relates only to a particular series of the Trust, that series shall be solely responsible for all liabilities in connection with such matter, and the Distributor agrees that resort shall be had solely to the assets of such series for the payment or performance thereof.
| 16. | Confidentiality. |
Nonpublic personal shareholder information shall remain the sole property of the Trust. Such information shall not be disclosed or used for any purpose except in connection with the performance of the duties and responsibilities described herein or as required or permitted by law. The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement. The parties agree to comply with any and all regulations promulgated by the SEC or other applicable laws regarding the confidentiality of shareholder information.
In the event any provision of this Agreement is determined to be void or unenforceable, such determination shall not affect the remainder of this Agreement, which shall continue to be in force.
18. Questions of Interpretation.
| (a) | This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Pennsylvania without regard to the conflicts of laws rules thereof. |
Any notices under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and delivered or mailed postage paid to the other party, with a copy to the Trust’s counsel, at such address as such other party may designate for the receipt of such notice. Such notice will be effective upon receipt. Until further notice to the other party, it is agreed that the address of the Trust for this purpose shall be ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attn: ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇; and that the address of Distributor for this purpose shall be ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attn: General Counsel.
20. Execution.
This Agreement may be executed by one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one in the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust and Distributor have each caused this Agreement to be signed in duplicate on their behalf, all as of the day and year first above written.
ULTIMUS FUND DISTRIBUTORS, LLC
TO THE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN
ULTIMUS FUND DISTRIBUTORS, LLC
Chesapeake Growth Fund
