Advanced Flower Capital Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business The following description of the business of Advanced Flower Capital Inc. should be read in conjunction with the information included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “AFC,” “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Advanced Flower Capital Inc. Overview Advanced Flower Capital Inc. is an institutional lender that was founded in July 2020 by a veteran team of investment professionals. We primarily originate, structure, underwrite, invest in and manage senior secured loans and other types of mortgage loans and debt securities, with a specialization in loans to cannabis industry operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult-use cannabis. Our investment guidelines primarily relate to deploying capital in attractive lending opportunities to state law-compliant cannabis operators, typically secured by real estate, equipment, cash flows and license value. Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns over time through cash distributions and capital appreciation primarily by providing loans to state law compliant cannabis companies. The loans we originate are primarily structured as senior loans typically secured by real estate, equipment, cash flows and the value associated with licenses (where applicable) and/or other assets of the loan parties to the extent permitted by applicable laws and the regulations governing such loan parties. Some of our cannabis-related borrowers have their equity securities listed for public trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) in Canada and/or over-the-counter (“OTC”) in the United States. As states continue to legalize cannabis for medical and adult-use, an increasing number of companies operating in the cannabis industry need financing. Due to the current capital constrained cannabis market, which does not typically have access to traditional bank financing, we believe we continue to be well positioned to act as a prudent financing source to cannabis industry operators given our stringent underwriting criteria, size and scale of operations and institutional infrastructure. We are a Maryland corporation and externally managed by AFC Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (our “Manager”), pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Management Agreement, dated January 14, 2021, by and between the Company and AFC Management, LLC (as amended from time to time, the “Management Agreement”). We commenced operations on July 31, 2020 and completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) in March 2021. We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2020. We believe that we have qualified as a REIT and that our current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, no assurances can be given that our beliefs or expectations will be fulfilled, since qualification as a REIT depends on us continuing to satisfy numerous asset, income and distribution tests, which in turn depends, in part, on our operating results and ability to obtain financing. We also intend to operate our business in a manner that will permit us to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, AFCG TRS1, LLC (“TRS1”), operates as a taxable REIT subsidiary (a “TRS”). TRS1 began operating in July 2021. The financial statements of TRS1 are consolidated within our consolidated financial statements. Spin-Off On February 22, 2024, we announced a plan to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies. Prior to the Spin-Off, Sunrise Realty Trust, Inc. (“SUNS”) held our commercial real estate (“CRE”) portfolio as our wholly-owned subsidiary. On July 9, 2024, we completed the separation of our CRE portfolio through the spin-off of SUNS into an independent, publicly traded REIT (the “Spin-Off”) through a pro-rata distribution of all of the outstanding shares of SUNS common stock to our shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 8, 2024 (the “Record Date”). Our shareholders of record as of the Record Date received one share of SUNS common stock for every three shares of our common stock held as of the Record Date. We retained no ownership interest in SUNS following the Spin-Off. In connection with the Spin-Off, the operating results of the SUNS business through the date of the Spin-Off are reported in net income from discontinued operations, net of tax in the consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. The related assets and liabilities are reported as assets and liabilities of discontinued operations on the consolidated balance 3 Table of Contents sheets. Cash flows from the Company’s discontinued operations are presented as such in the consolidated statements of cash flows for all periods presented. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts, percentages and discussion below reflect only the results of operations and financial condition from our continuing operations. Our Competitive Strengths Our investment guidelines focus on investments in first and second lien loans, typically secured by mortgages and other security interests, to cannabis operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. As states continue to legalize cannabis for medical and adult-use, an increasing number of companies operating in the cannabis industry need financing. Due to the current capital constrained cannabis market, which does not typically have access to traditional bank financing, we believe we continue to be well positioned to act as a prudent financing source to cannabis industry operators given our stringent underwriting criteria, size and scale of operations and institutional infrastructure, as well as the following factors: Experienced Management Team : Our Manager administers our business activities and day-to-day operations subject to the overall supervision of our Board of Directors (the “Board”). Our Manager’s team is comprised of professionals with extensive and diverse expertise and significant finance industry experience. We believe that the length and breadth of this team’s financing experience and its ability to source and execute a wide variety of loans is one of our significant competitive advantages. Flexible Structure : We believe we have a more flexible funding structure, with the ability to redeploy capital more quickly than the typical REIT land ownership models and traditional lenders. Our funding structure commits and funds loans with an average maturity of two to five years with significant prepayment protections whereas certain competitors with typical REIT land ownership models have longer-term leases. The duration of our loans, as compared to the length of leases usually employed by REIT land ownership models, allows us to redeploy our capital with more flexibility as market changes occur instead of being locked in for longer periods of time. This model also allows our borrowers to retain control of their real estate assets, which is important to their businesses and allows for more flexibility regarding their capital structure. Compelling Risk-Adjusted Returns : We seek to obtain strong risk-adjusted yield-to-maturity (“YTM”) with targeted annual gross yields on our portfolio within the range of 12% to 20% through coupons, original issue discount (“OID”), prepayment or exit fees, and other fees. Underlying Collateral : Our loans are primarily secured by real property and certain personal property, including by the cash flows and the value associated with licenses (where applicable), equipment, and other assets to the extent permitted by applicable laws, and the regulations governing our borrowers and our intention to qualify as a REIT. As of December 31, 2024, our portfolio of assets held outside of TRS1 had a weighted average real estate collateral coverage of approximately 1.0 times our aggregate committed principal amount of such loans, with the real estate collateral coverage for each of our loans measured as of the time of closing for such loan and based on various sources of data available at such time. Leading Loan Origination Platform in High-Growth Cannabis Market with Extensive Barriers to Entry : Through our size and scale of operations, as well as our incumbency and institutional infrastructure, we believe we are well positioned to continue as a leading financing source of choice for cannabis companies. Currently, we are able to take advantage of the capital supply/demand imbalance to generate strong risk-adjusted returns by providing operators debt capital. Based on historical and projected growth, as states continue to legalize cannabis, the demand for capital to fund operations should increase and we believe we will be positioned to continue funding these borrowers both as a relationship lender and institutional capital provider to an expanding universe of operators. Significant Management Investment : Leonard M. Tannenbaum, our Chairman of the Board, made an equity investment of approximately $47.8 million in August 2020, which included a combination of cash and a transfer of loan assets at fair value plus accrued and unpaid interest, in exchange for 3,342,500 shares of our common stock. Our Portfolio For information about our investment portfolio (our “Existing Portfolio”), see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Investment Portfolio” and the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report. 4 Table of Contents Collateral Overview Our loans are typically secured by various types of assets of our borrowers, including real property and certain personal property, such as cash flows and the value associated with licenses (where applicable), equipment, and other assets to the extent permitted by applicable laws and the regulations governing our borrowers. With respect to our loans to cannabis operators, we do not have liens on cannabis inventory and are generally restricted from taking ownership of state licenses by current statutory prohibitions and exchange listing standards. The documents governing our loans also include a variety of provisions intended to provide remedies against the value associated with licenses. For example, some loan documents require a grant of a security interest in all property of the entities holding licenses to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or regulations (or requiring regulatory approval), equity pledges of entities holding licenses, receivership remedies and/or other remedies to secure the value associated with the borrowers’ licenses. Upon default of a loan, we may seek to sell the loan to a third party or have an affiliate or a third party work with the borrower to have the borrower sell collateral securing the loan to a third party or institute a foreclosure proceeding to have such collateral sold, in each case, to generate funds towards the payoff of the loan. While we believe that the appraised value of any real estate assets or other collateral securing our loans may impact the amount of the recovery in each such scenario, the amount of any such recovery from the sale of such real estate or other collateral may be less than the appraised value of such collateral and the sale of such collateral may not be sufficient to pay off the remaining balance on the defaulted loan. Becoming the holder of a license through foreclosure or otherwise, the sale of a license or other realization of the value of licenses requires the approval of regulatory authorities. As of December 31, 2024, our portfolio of assets held outside of TRS1 had a weighted average real estate collateral coverage of approximately 1.0 times our aggregate committed principal amount of such loans, with the real estate collateral coverage for each of our loans measured as of the time of closing for such loan and based on various sources of data available at such time. We calculate our weighted average real estate collateral coverage by estimating the underlying value of our real estate collateral based on various objective and subjective factors, including, without limitation, third-party appraisals, total cost basis of the subject property and/or our own internal estimates. We may pursue a sale of a defaulted loan if we believe that a sale would yield higher proceeds or that a sale could be accomplished more quickly than a foreclosure proceeding while yielding proceeds comparable to what would be expected from a foreclosure sale. To the extent that we determine that the proceeds are more likely to be maximized through instituting a foreclosure sale or through taking title to the underlying collateral, we will be subject to the rules and regulations under state law that govern foreclosure sales and Nasdaq listing standards that do not permit us to take title to real estate while it is involved in commercial sales of cannabis. In addition, the sale of the collateral securing our loans may be difficult and even for loans to cannabis operators, the collateral securing our loans may be sold to a party outside of the cannabis industry. Therefore, any appraisal-based value of our real estate and other collateral may not equal the value of such collateral if it were to be sold to a third party in a foreclosure or similar proceeding. We may seek to sell a defaulted loan prior to commencing a foreclosure proceeding or during a foreclosure proceeding to a purchaser that is not required to comply with Nasdaq listing standards. We believe a third-party purchaser that is not subject to Nasdaq listing standards may be able to realize greater value from real estate and other collateral securing our loans with respect to loans to cannabis operators. However, we can provide no assurances that a third party would buy such loans or that the sales price of such loans would be sufficient to recover the outstanding principal balance, accrued interest, and fees. We will not own real estate as long as it is used in the commercial sale of cannabis due to current statutory prohibitions and exchange listing standards, which may delay or limit our remedies in the event that any of our borrowers default under the terms of their loans with us. Our Loan Origination Pipeline As of March 1, 2025, our loan origination pipeline consisted of potential new loans to state law compliant cannabis operators representing prospective total loan commitments of approximately $383 million. From January 1, 2020 to March 1, 2025, members of our management team, provided by our Manager, and the members of the investment committee of our Manager (the “Investment Committee”), who advise on our investments and operations, sourced over $20.6 billion of loans across the cannabis industry in various states while maintaining a robust pipeline of potentially actionable opportunities. We are in various stages of our evaluation process with respect to these loans. We identify appropriate loans from our origination pipeline based on investment criteria factors such as, among other things, the prospective borrower’s financial performance, loan size, proposed sources and uses and location, at which point we may issue an indication of interest or non-binding term sheet and, if mutually agreeable, enter into a non-binding term sheet or non-binding syndication commitment letter with the prospective borrower. 5 Table of Contents We are currently completing our underwriting process and negotiating definitive loan documents for each of the potential loan investments related to our active fully-executed, non-binding term sheets and fully-executed, non-binding syndication commitment letters. The potential loans remain subject to satisfactory completion of our underwriting and due diligence processes, definitive documentation and final approval by the Investment Committee, as applicable. As a result, no assurance can be given that any of these potential loans will close on the currently contemplated terms or at all. We intend to fund these potential loans using unused borrowing capacity under our senior secured revolving credit facility (as amended from time to time, the “Revolving Credit Facilit y”), obtained under the Loan and Security Agreement (the “Revolving Credit Agreement”) and unsecured revolving credit facility (the “AFCF Credit Facility”), by and among the Company, as borrower, the lenders party thereto from time to time, and AFC Finance, LLC, as agent and lender, net proceeds of future debt or equity offerings, including in connection with our at-the-market offering program (the “ATM Program”), existing cash and/or, depending upon the timing of closing, or net proceeds from loan repayments. Our Leadership Leonard M. Tannenbaum, our Chairman, has over 30 years of investment management experience. He has taken four other entities public and has managed several externally-managed investment vehicles with approximately $5.0 billion of assets under management in the aggregate. During his career, Mr. Tannenbaum has underwritten over 400 loans with over $10.0 billion in principal value. Daniel Neville, our Chief Executive Officer, has over 15 years of experience in finance. Prior to joining AFC in November 2023, Mr. Neville previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. Robyn Tannenbaum, our President and Chief Investment Officer, has over 15 years of experience in finance, capital market transactions and investor relations. Brandon Hetzel, our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, has over 15 years of experience in accounting and finance. Our Manager and Our Management Agreement We are externally managed and advised by our Manager, a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and an affiliate of Mr. Tannenbaum, Mrs. Tannenbaum and Mr. Neville. Each of our officers is employed by our Manager and certain of our officers are members of AFC’s Investment Committee. Our Manager’s team is comprised of professionals with extensive and diverse expertise and significant financing industry experience. Members of the Investment Committee of our Manager and the investment personnel provided by our Manager have approximately 80 years of combined investment management experience and are a valuable resource to us. Our Manager, its affiliates and the members of our Investment Committee have managed several externally-managed vehicles in cannabis-related assets. Our Manager’s Investment Committee is comprised of Leonard M. Tannenbaum, Robyn Tannenbaum, Daniel Neville, and Bernard D. Berman. The Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Castleground Holdings LLC (f/k/a Advanced Flower Capital Management, LLC) (the “Parent Manager”). As of December 31, 2024, certain officers have ownership in the outstanding equity of the Parent Manager, including Leonard Tannenbaum, Chairman of the Board, Robyn Tannenbaum, President and Chief Investment Officer, Bernard Berman, a member of the Company’s Investment Committee, and Daniel Neville, Chief Executive Officer. Our Management Agreement Pursuant to the Management Agreement, our Manager manages our portfolio and our day-to-day operations, subject to the terms set forth in the Management Agreement and such further conditions as may be imposed from time to time by our Board. Under the Management Agreement, our Manager has contractual responsibilities to us, including to provide us with a management team (whether our Manager’s own employees or individuals for which our Manager has contracted with other parties to provide services to its clients), who will be our executive officers, and the Investment Committee. Currently, the Management Agreement automatically renews every year on July 31 st for a one-year period, unless we or our Manager elects not to renew. The Management Agreement may be terminated by us or our Manager under certain specified circumstances. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, upon the date on which our equity equals or exceeds $1,000,000,000, we may, at our election, provide our Manager with a written offer for an internalization transaction in which our Manager will contribute all of its assets to us, or in the alternative, the equity owners of our Manager will contribute 100% of the outstanding equity interest in our Manager to us. If the offer price of such internalization transaction has not been agreed prior to the date that is the three-month anniversary of the date on which our equity equals or exceeds $1,000,000,000, then we shall have the right, but not the obligation, to consummate such internalization transaction, effective as of such date, at 6 Table of Contents an internalization price equal to five times the sum of (i) the annual base management fee received by our Manager (the “Base Management Fee”) (without giving effect to any Base Management Fee Rebate (as defined below)), (ii) the annual incentive compensation the Manager is entitled to receive (the “Incentive Compensation”) and (iii) the aggregate amount of any other fees (the “Outside Fees”) less the Base Management Fee Rebate, in each case, earned by our Manager during the 12-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter. For a summary of compensation paid to our Manager for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, see Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for more information. On March 10, 2022, we entered into an amendment to our Management Agreement between us and our Manager. Pursuant to the amendment, the Management Agreement was amended to, among other things, (i) update the investment guidelines to allow for (x) investments in, among other things, debt securities (including seller notes) with characteristics similar to our Target Investments (as defined in our Management Agreement) and (y) until appropriate investments in Target Investments are identified, short-term investments in, among other things, equity interests of real estate investment trusts and (ii) update the payment process for the Base Management Fee and Incentive Fee payable to our Manager to allow for a preliminary payment of such fees equal to 80-90% of the estimated quarterly installment prior to the final calculation and payment of such quarterly installments. On November 7, 2022, we entered into an amendment to our Management Agreement between us and our Manager. Pursuant to the amendment, the Management Agreement was amended to update the investment guidelines to allow for investments in (i) first lien loans secured by mortgages to businesses that are not related to the cannabis industry, (ii) the ownership of non-cannabis related real property assets and (iii) mortgage-backed securities. On March 6, 2023, we entered into an amendment to our Management Agreement between us and our Manager. Pursuant to the amendment, the Management Agreement was amended to update the investment guidelines to allow for investments in second lien loans secured by mortgages to businesses that are not related to the cannabis industry. In addition, the definition of the Investment Committee was amended to allow independent contractors to serve on the Investment Committee and to allow for a majority vote for any action taken by the Investment Committee at any time that the Investment Committee is comprised of at least four members. On September 11, 2023, we entered into an amendment to our Management Agreement between us and our Manager. Pursuant to the amendment, the Management Agreement was amended to update the investment guidelines to allow for investments in mezzanine loans to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses. In addition, the investment guidelines were amended such that loans and investments made in respect of (x) first lien or second lien loans secured by mortgages or mezzanine loans to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses, (y) the ownership of non-cannabis related commercial real estate assets, and (z) mortgage-backed securities shall not exceed 35% of the Company’s assets as evaluated on a quarterly basis and determined by our Board through the independent Audit and Valuation Committee. On February 22, 2024, we entered into an amendment to our Management Agreement between us and our Manager. Pursuant to the amendment, the Management Agreement was amended to update the investment guidelines to focus on our investments in first and second lien loans, typically secured by mortgages and other security interests, to cannabis operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. Therefore, the investment guidelines were amended such that loans and investments made in respect of (x) first lien or second lien loans secured by mortgages or mezzanine loans to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses and (y) the ownership of non-cannabis related commercial real estate assets, were removed and are no longer permitted by the investment guidelines. We and our Manager have agreed that this amendment became effective upon the completion of the Spin-Off. Indemnification and Liability Our Management Agreement provides for customary indemnification of our Manager and its affiliates, and certain of our and their respective members, shareholders, managers, partners, trustees, personnel, officers, directors, employees, consultants and Sub-Managers, as applicable. Additionally, we have entered into indemnification agreements with the members of the Investment Committee provided by our Manager that provide for indemnification and advance of expenses to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, subject to certain standards to be met and certain other limitations and conditions as set forth in such indemnification agreements. We also carry directors and officers insurance. We believe the policy specifications and insured limits are appropriate and adequate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and standard industry practice; however, our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses. The Management Agreement also provides that our Manager, its affiliates, and any of their respective members, shareholders, managers, partners, trustees, personnel, officers, directors, employees, consultants and any person providing sub-advisory 7 Table of Contents services to our Manager (collectively, the “Manager Parties”) will not be liable to us for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to the Management Agreement, except by reason of acts constituting bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of their duties under the relevant Management Agreement. Term The Management Agreement automatically renews every year on July 31 st for a one-year period, unless we or our Manager elect not to renew. We may decline to renew our Management Agreement upon 180 days prior written notice and the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors that there has been unsatisfactory performance by our Manager that is materially detrimental to us taken as a whole. In such event, we shall pay our Manager a termination fee (the “Termination Fee”) equal to three times the sum of (i) the annual Base Management Fee and (ii) the annual Incentive Compensation, in each case, earned by our Manager during the 12-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter. Our Manager may decline to renew our Management Agreement upon 180 days prior written notice and without payment of any termination fee by either party. We and our Manager have agreed that it is both of our intention that if our Management Agreement is not terminated prior to our equity equaling or exceeding $1,000,000,000, then we and our Manager (or the equity owners of our Manager) shall contemplate effecting an Internalization Transaction (as defined below) pursuant to our Management Agreement. Our Management Agreement was amended and restated to reflect these terms upon the consummation of our IPO. Termination for Cause We may terminate our Management Agreement effective upon 30 days’ prior written notice, without payment of any termination fee, if (i) our Manager, its agents or its assignees breach any material provision of our Management Agreement and such breach shall continue for a period of 30 days after written notice thereof specifying such breach and requesting that the same be remedied in such 30-day period (or 45 days after written notice of such breach if our Manager takes steps to cure such breach within 30 days of the written notice); (ii) there is a commencement of any proceeding relating to our Manager’s bankruptcy or insolvency, including an order for relief in an involuntary bankruptcy case or our Manager authorizing or filing a voluntary bankruptcy petition; (iii) any Manager change of control occurs that a majority of the independent directors determines is materially detrimental to us taken as a whole; (iv) our Manager is dissolved; or (v) our Manager commits fraud against us, misappropriates or embezzles our funds, or acts, or fails to act, in a manner constituting bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of its duties under this Agreement; provided, however, that if any of the actions or omissions described in this clause (v) are caused by an employee, personnel and/or officer of our Manager or one of its affiliates and our Manager (or such affiliate) takes all necessary and appropriate action against such person and cures the damage caused by such actions or omissions within 30 days of our Manager’s actual knowledge of its commission or omission, we shall not have the right to terminate our Management Agreement. Our Manager may terminate our Management Agreement effective upon 60 days’ prior written notice in the event that we default in the performance or observance of any material term, condition or covenant contained in our Management Agreement and such default shall continue for a period of 30 days after written notice thereof specifying such default and requesting that the same be remedied in such 30-day period. We are required to pay to our Manager the Termination Fee if our Management Agreement is terminated pursuant to the preceding sentence. Additionally, our Manager may terminate our Management Agreement if we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, in which case we shall not be required to pay a termination fee. Internalization of our Manager Our Management Agreement was amended and restated in connection with our IPO such that upon the date on which our equity equals or exceeds $1,000,000,000 (such date, the “Internalization Trigger Date”), we may, at our election, provide our Manager with a written offer for an internalization transaction in which our Manager will contribute all of its assets to us, or in the alternative, the equity owners of our Manager will contribute 100% of the outstanding equity interest in our Manager to us (such transaction an “Internalization Transaction”). The initial offer price will be as determined by a special committee of our Board consisting solely of our independent directors (the “Internalization Committee”) and set forth in any such initial written offer. Upon receipt of our initial offer, our Manager may accept our proposal or submit a counter offer. If an Internalization Transaction is not consummated pursuant to our initial offer or our Manager’s counter offer, our Manager and we agree to enter into good faith negotiations for the consummation of an Internalization Transaction with an offer price to be agreed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the price of such Internalization Transaction (the “Internalization Price”) has not been agreed upon prior to the date that is the three-month anniversary of the Internalization Trigger Date, then we shall have the right, but not the obligation, to consummate an Internalization Transaction, effective as of such date, at an Internalization Price equal to five times the sum of (i) the annual Base Management Fee (without giving effect to any 8 Table of Contents Base Management Fee Rebate), (ii) the annual Incentive Compensation and (iii) the aggregate amount of Outside Fees less the Base Management Fee Rebate, in each case, earned by our Manager during the 12-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter. At the time of consummation of an Internalization Transaction, all assets of our Manager or 100% of the equity interest in our Manager shall be conveyed to and acquired by us in exchange for the consideration to be paid for the Internalization Transaction. Consummation of any Internalization Transaction agreed to between us and our Manager is conditioned upon the satisfaction of the following conditions: (i) our receipt of a fairness opinion from a nationally-recognized investment banking firm to the effect that the consideration to be paid by us for the assets and equity of our Manager is fair, from a financial point of view, to our shareholders who are not affiliated with our Manager or its affiliates; (ii) the approval of the acquisition by the Internalization Committee; and (iii) the approval of our shareholders holding a majority of the votes cast on such Internalization Transaction proposal at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present, any of which conditions may be waived by us, in our sole discretion. The price to be paid to our Manager in any Internalization Transaction may be payable in cash, shares of our common stock or a combination at the discretion of our Board. The value of any our common stock paid as partial or full consideration of any Internalization Transaction shall be calculated based on the volume-weighted average of the closing market price of our common stock for the ten consecutive trading days immediately preceding the date with respect to which value must be determined; provided, however, that if our common stock is not traded on a securities exchange at the time of closing of any such Internalization Transaction, then the number of shares of common stock shall be determined by agreement between our Board and our Manager or, in the absence of such agreement, the Internalization Price shall be paid in cash. Investment Guidelines We have adopted investment guidelines (the “Investment Guidelines”) which require us and our Manager to abide by certain investment strategies which include, but are not limited to: (i) not making loans that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT, or that would cause us to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act; (ii) not making loans that would cause us to violate any law, rule or regulation of any applicable governmental body or agency (excluding the federal prohibition under the CSA (defined below) of the cultivation, processing, sale or possession of cannabis or parts of cannabis including the sale or possession of cannabis paraphernalia, advertising the sale of cannabis, products containing cannabis or cannabis paraphernalia, or controlling or managing real estate on which cannabis is trafficked, as long as such investments are in compliance with applicable state law) or any applicable securities exchange or that would otherwise not be permitted by our governing documents; (iii) requiring the approval of the Investment Committee for all investments made by us; and (iv) until appropriate loans that align with our overall investment strategy are identified, permitting our Manager to cause us to invest our available cash in interest-bearing, short-term investments, including money market accounts or funds, commercial mortgage backed securities and corporate bonds, debt and equity interests of real estate investment trusts and other investments, subject to the requirements for our qualification as a REIT. Our Investment Guidelines may only be amended, restated, modified, supplemented or waived pursuant to the approval of (i) a majority of our Board (which must include a majority of our independent directors) and (ii) our Manager. Investment Committee Pursuant to our Manage ment Agreement, our Manager has established an Investment Committee for us, the members of which consist of employees or advisers of our Manager and/or its affiliates and which currently includes certain of our Manager’s affiliates and certain of our officers. The Investment Committee has the following responsibilities: (i) reviewing loan opportunities for us presented to it by senior investment professionals of our Manager and (ii) reviewing our loan portfolios for compliance with the Investment Guidelines established pursuant to our Management Agreement at least on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as necessary. All of our loans require the approval of the Investment Committee. The members of the Investment Committee currently consist of Mr. Tannenbaum, Mrs. Tannenbaum, Mr. Neville and Mr. Berman. An y action to be taken by the Investment Committee requires the approval of a majori ty of the members of the Investment Committee; provided that during any time that the Investment Committee is comprised of less than four (4) members, any action by the Investment Committee shall require unanimous approval of all members of the Investment Committee. Manager Succession Plan The members of our Manager have delegated the management of the business and affairs of our Manager to Mrs. Tannenbaum, as manager (the “Managing Member”). Pursuant to our Manager’s operating agreement, the Managing Member will hold office until such Managing Member resigns or is removed pursuant to our Manager’s operating 9 Table of Contents agreement. The Managing Member shall be automatically removed as such in the event of his or her death, permanent physical or mental disability. Upon the resignation or removal of Mrs. Tannenbaum as the Managing Member, the members of our Manager will appoint Mr. Tannenbaum as the Managing Member. Co-Investments From time to time, we may co-invest with other investment vehicles managed by our Manager or its affiliates, including our Manager, and their portfolio companies, including by means of splitting loans, participating in loans or other means of syndicating loans. We are not obligated to provide, nor have we provided, any financial support to the other managed investment vehicles. As such, our risk is limited to the carrying value of its investment in any such loan. As of December 31, 2024 , there were two co-invested loans held by us and our affiliates. Certain investment opportunities in loans, which may be suitable for us, may also be suitable for other accounts, private funds, pooled investment vehicles or other entities managed or advised, directly or indirectly, by our Manager, Mr. Tannenbaum or Mrs. Tannenbaum, or any of their or our respective affiliates or entities in which any such person is an executive, in each case (such accounts, private funds, pooled investment vehicles and other entities, collectively, the “Ancillary Entities”), and, subject to compliance with our Manager’s Conflict of Interest Policy, our related persons transaction policy, our code of business conduct and ethics and applicable regulatory considerations, our Manager may allocate such loans and participate in such loans on behalf of Ancillary Entities under such allocation process as our Manager deems reasonable under the circumstances in good faith. Additionally, subject to the foregoing policies, codes and considerations, our Manager or its affiliates, including AFC Agent LLC (“AFC Agent”), may from time to time serve as administrative agent to the lenders under our co-investments, which as of December 31, 2024 include Private Company A and Subsidiary of Private Company G. AFC Agent, an entity wholly-owned by Mr. and Mrs. Tannenbaum, serves as the administrative agent to all respective lenders under the majority of our credit facilities. We do not pay any consideration to AFC Agent for its services as administrative agent under such credit facilities, though it does receive fees from the borrowers under certain credit facilities. Management Compensation Our Manager manages our day-to-day affairs. The following table summarizes all of the compensation, fees and expense reimbursement that we pay to our Manager under our Management Agreement: Type Description Payment Base Management Fees An amount equal to 0.375% of our Equity (as defined below), determined as of the last day of each quarter. The Base Management Fees are reduced by the Base Management Fee Rebate. Under no circumstances will the Base Management Fee be less than zero. Our Equity, for purposes of calculating the Base Management Fees, could be greater than or less than the amount of shareholders’ equity shown on our financial statements. The Base Management Fees are payable independent of the performance of our portfolio. For additional information, see “ Management Compensation—Base Management Fees .” Quarterly in arrears in cash. Base Management Fee Rebate An amount equal to 50% of the aggregate amount of any other fees earned and paid to our Manager during the applicable quarter resulting from the investment advisory services and general management services rendered by our Manager to us under our Management Agreement, including any agency fees relating to our loans, but excluding the Incentive Compensation and any diligence fees paid to and earned by our Manager and paid by third parties in connection with our Manager’s due diligence of potential loans. For additional information, see “ Management Compensation — Base Management Fees .” Reduces the Base Management Fees on a quarterly basis. 10 Table of Contents Incentive Compensation An amount with respect to each fiscal quarter (or portion thereof that our Management Agreement is in effect) based upon our achievement of targeted levels of Core Earnings (as defined below). No Incentive Compensation is payable with respect to any fiscal quarter unless our Core Earnings for such quarter exceed the amount equal to the product of (i) 2% and (ii) Adjusted Capital (as defined below) as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter (such amount, the “Hurdle Amount”). The Incentive Compensation for any fiscal quarter will otherwise be calculated as the sum of (i) the product of (A) 50% and (B) the amount of our Core Earnings for such quarter, if any, that exceeds the Hurdle Amount, but is less than or equal to 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount and (ii) the product of (A) 20% and (B) the amount of our Core Earnings for such quarter, if any, that exceeds 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount. Such compensation is subject to Clawback Obligations (as defined below), if any. For additional information, see “ Management Compensation — Incentive Compensation ” and “ Management Compensation — Incentive Compensation—Incentive Compensation Clawback .” Quarterly in arrears in cash. 11 Table of Contents Expense Reimbursement We pay all of our costs and expenses and reimburse our Manager or its affiliates for expenses of our Manager and its affiliates paid or incurred on our behalf, excepting only those expenses that are specifically the responsibility of our Manager pursuant to our Management Agreement. Pursuant to our Management Agreement, we reimburse our Manager or its affiliates, as applicable, for our fair and equitable allocable share of the compensation, including annual base salary, bonus, any related withholding taxes and employee benefits, paid to (i) subject to review by the Compensation Committee of our Board, our Manager’s personnel serving as our Chief Executive Officer (except when the Chief Executive Officer serves as a member of the Investment Committee prior to the consummation of an internalization transaction of our Manager by us), General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Managing Director and any of our other officers, based on the percentage of his or her time spent devoted to our affairs and (ii) other corporate finance, tax, accounting, internal audit, legal, risk management, operations, compliance and other non-investment personnel of the Manager and its affiliates who spend all or a portion of their time managing our affairs, with the allocable share of the compensation of such personnel described in this clause (ii) being as reasonably determined by our Manager to appropriately reflect the amount of time spent devoted by such personnel to our affairs. The service by any personnel of our Manager and its affiliates as a member of the Investment Committee will not, by itself, be dispositive in the determination as to whether such personnel is deemed “investment personnel” of our Manager and its affiliates for purposes of expense reimbursement. Prior to the consummation of our IPO, we were not obligated to reimburse our Manager or its affiliates, as applicable, for any compensation paid to Mr. Tannenbaum, Mr. Jonathan Kalikow, a former director and officer of the Company, or Mrs. Tannenbaum. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our Manager did not seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mr. Tannenbaum’s compensation, but did seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mrs. Tannenbaum’s compensation. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our Manager did not seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mr. Kalikow and Mr. Tannenbaum’s compensation, but did seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mrs. Tannenbaum’s compensation. For additional information, see “— Expense Reimbursement .” Monthly in cash. 12 Table of Contents Termination Fee Equal to three times the sum of (i) the annual Base Management Fee and (ii) the annual Incentive Compensation, in each case, earned by our Manager during the 12-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter prior to the date of termination. Such fee shall be payable upon termination of our Management Agreement in the event that (i) we decline to renew our Management Agreement, without cause, upon 180 days prior written notice and the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors that there has been unsatisfactory performance by our Manager that is materially detrimental to us taken as a whole, or (ii) our Management Agreement is terminated by our Manager (effective upon 60 days’ prior written notice) based upon our default in the performance or observance of any material term, condition or covenant contained in our Management Agreement and such default continuing for a period of 30 days after written notice thereof specifying such default and requesting that the same be remedied in such 30-day period. For additional information, see “ Management Compensation — Termination Fee .” Upon specified termination in cash. General Under our Management Agreement, we pay a Base Management Fee and Incentive Compensation to our Manager. Upon the consummation of our IPO, our Management Agreement was amended and restated to revise the Base Management Fee and Incentive Compensation payable to our Manager as specified below. Any compensation previously earned by our Manager for services rendered prior to the consummation of our IPO was calculated and payable pursuant to the terms of, and in accordance with, our Management Agreement as in effect prior to the consummation of our IPO. Pursuant to our Management Agreement, we are also obligated to reimburse our Manager or its affiliates for certain expenses of our Manager and its affiliates paid or incurred on our behalf. We may also grant equity-based awards and incentives to our Manager and other eligible awardees under our 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”) from time to time. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, our Manager earned a Base Management Fee of approximately $3.6 million and $3.7 million respectively, which was net of a Base Management Fee Rebate of approximately $0.9 million and $1.7 million, respectively. The Incentive Compensation fee payable to our Manager for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was approximately $6.8 million and $10.4 million, respective ly. Summary Compensation and Expenses Reimbursement Table Years ended December 31, 2024 2023 Management fees $ 4,541,310 $ 5,395,617 Less: outside fees earned (947,969) (1,693,133) Base management fees 3,593,341 3,702,484 Incentive fees earned 6,768,480 10,361,821 General and administrative expenses reimbursable to Manager 2,914,256 3,590,594 Total $ 13,276,077 $ 17,654,899 Base Management Fees Initially, our Manager received base management fees (“Base Management Fees”) that were calculated and payable quarterly in arrears in cash, in an amount equal to 0.4375% of our Equity (as defined below), determined as of the last day of each such quarter. The Base Management Fees were to be reduced by the aggregate amount of any other fees earned and paid to our Manager during such quarter resulting from the investment advisory services and general management services rendered by it to us under our Management Agreement, including any syndication, structuring, diligence, monitoring or 13 Table of Contents agency fees relating to our loans, but excluding the Incentive Compensation (as defined below). Our Management Agreement was amended and restated upon the consummation of our IPO such that the Base Management Fees now (i) amount to 0.375% of our Equity, determined as of the last day of each quarter, and (ii) will be reduced by 50% of the aggregate amount of any Outside Fees, including any agency fees relating to our loans, but excluding the Incentive Compensation and any diligence fees paid to and earned by our Manager and paid by third parties in connection with our Manager’s due diligence of potential loans. Under no circumstances will the Base Management Fees be less than zero. Our Equity, for purposes of calculating the Base Management Fees, could be greater than or less than the amount of shareholders’ equity shown on our consolidated financial statements. The Base Management Fees are payable independent of the performance of our portfolio. For purposes of computing the Base Management Fees, “Equity” means, as of any date (i) the sum of (A) the net proceeds from all of our issuances of equity securities since our inception through such date (allocated on a pro rata daily basis for such issuances during the fiscal quarter of any such issuance), plus (B) our retained earnings at the end of the most recently completed fiscal quarter determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States (without taking into account any non-cash equity compensation expense incurred in current or prior periods), less (ii) (A) any amount that we have paid to repurchase our common stock since our inception through such date, (B) any unrealized gains and losses and other non-cash items that have impacted shareholders’ equity as reported in our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP through such date; and (C) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP, and certain non-cash items not otherwise described above, through such date, in each case as determined after discussions between our Manager and our independent directors and approval by a majority of our independent directors. Incentive Compensation In addition to the Base Management Fees, our Manager receives incentive compensation (“Incentive Compensation” or “Incentive Fees”) with respect to each fiscal quarter (or portion thereof that our Management Agreement is in effect) based upon our achievement of targeted levels of Core Earnings (as defined below). To the extent earned by our Manager, the Incentive Compensation will be payable to our Manager quarterly in arrears in cash. Initially, no Incentive Compensation is payable with respect to any fiscal quarter unless our Core Earnings for such quarter exceed the amount equal to the product of (i) 1.75% and (ii) the Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter (the “Hurdle Amount”). The Incentive Compensation for any fiscal quarter will otherwise be calculated as the sum of (i) the product (the “Catch-Up Amount”) of (A) 50% and (B) the amount of our Core Earnings for such quarter, if any, that exceeds the Hurdle Amount, but is less than or equal to 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount and (ii) the product (the “Excess Earnings Amount”) of (A) 20% and (B) the amount of our Core Earnings for such quarter, if any, that exceeds 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount. Our Management Agreement was amended and restated upon the consummation of our IPO such that the Hurdle Amount now equals the product of (i) 2% and (ii) Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter. For the purposes of computing Incentive Compensation: ▪ “Adjusted Capital” means the sum of (i) cumulative gross proceeds generated from issuances of the shares of our capital stock (including any distribution reinvestment plan), less (ii) distributions to our investors that represent a return of capital and amounts paid for share repurchases pursuant to any share repurchase program. ▪ “Core Earnings” means, for a given period, the net income (loss) for such period, computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding (i) non-cash equity compensation expense, (ii) Incentive Compensation, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) any unrealized gains or losses or other non-cash items that are included in net income for the applicable reporting period, regardless of whether such items are included in other comprehensive income or loss, or in net income and (v) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and certain non-cash charges, in each case as determined after discussions between our Manager and our independent directors and approval by a majority of our independent directors. For the avoidance of doubt, Core Earnings shall not exclude under clause (iv) above, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as OID, debt instruments with PIK interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that we have not yet received in cash. The calculation methodology for computing Incentive Compensation will look through any derivatives or swaps as if we owned the reference assets directly. Therefore, net interest, if any, associated with a derivative or swap (which represents the difference between (i) the interest income and fees received in respect of the reference assets of such derivative or swap and (ii) the interest expense paid by us to the derivative or swap counterparty) will be included in the calculation of Core Earnings for purposes of the Incentive Compensation. 14 Table of Contents Incentive Compensation Clawback Initially, once Incentive Compensation is earned and paid to our Manager, it is not refundable, notwithstanding any losses incurred by us in subsequent periods, except that if our aggregate Core Earnings for any fiscal year do not exceed the amount equal to the product of (i) 7.0% and (ii) our Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year (such amount, the “Annual Hurdle Amount”), our Manager will be obligated to pay us (such obligation to pay, the “Clawback Obligation”) an amount equal to the aggregate Incentive Compensation that was earned and paid to our Manager during such fiscal year (such amount, the “Clawback Amount”); provided that under no circumstances will the Clawback Amount be more than the amount to which the Annual Hurdle Amount exceeds our aggregate Core Earnings for the specified fiscal year. The Clawback Obligation is determined on an annual basis and any Incentive Compensation earned during a specified fiscal year will not be subject to the Clawback Obligation with respect to the Incentive Compensation earned during any prior or subsequent fiscal year. Upon consummation of our IPO, our Management Agreement was amended and restated such that the Annual Hurdle Amount now equals the product of (i) 8.0% and (ii) our Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year. The aggregate Core Earnings, Annual Hurdle Amount, Clawback Amount and any components thereof for the initial and final fiscal years that our Management Agreement is in effect will be prorated based on the number of days during the initial and final fiscal years, respectively, that our Management Agreement is in effect, to the extent applicable. Incentive Compensation Illustration The following illustration sets forth a simplified graphical representation of the calculation of our quarterly Incentive Compensation in accordance with our Management Agreement without consideration to any Clawback Obligation. Quarterly Incentive Fee on Core Earnings Core Earnings (expressed as a percentage of Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter)  Percentage of Core Earnings allocated to the Incentive Fee on income Incentive Compensation Example The following table sets forth a simplified, hypothetical example of a quarterly Incentive Compensation calculation in accordance with our Management Agreement without consideration to any Clawback Obligation. Our actual results may differ materially from the following example. This example of a quarterly Incentive Compensation calculation assumes the following: ▪ Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter of $100.0 million; and ▪ Core Earnings before the Incentive Compensation for the specified quarter representing a quarterly yield of 20.9% on Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter. 15 Table of Contents Under these assumptions, the hypothetical quarterly Incentive Compensation payable to our Manager would be $1.045 million as calculated below: Illustrative Amount Calculation 1. What are the Core Earnings? $ 5,225,000 Assumed to be a 5.2% quarterly or 20.9% per annum return on Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter ($100.0 million). 2. What is the Hurdle Amount? $ 2,000,000 The hurdle rate (2.0% quarterly or 8.0% per annum) multiplied by Adjusted Capital as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter ($100.0 million). 3. What is the Catch-Up Amount? $ 666,667 The catch-up incentive rate (50.0%) multiplied by the amount that Core Earnings ($5.2 million) exceeds the Hurdle Amount ($2 million), but is less than or equal to 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount (approximately $3.3 million). 4. What is the Excess Earnings Amount? $ 378,333 The excess earnings incentive rate (20%) multiplied by the amount of Core Earnings ($5.2 million) that exceeds 166-2/3% of the Hurdle Amount (approximately $3.3 million). 5. What is the Incentive Compensation? $ 1,045,000 The sum of the Catch-Up Amount (approximately $666,667) and the Excess Earnings Amount (approximately $378,333). The foregoing is solely a hypothetical example of a quarterly Incentive Compensation that we could pay to our Manager for a given fiscal quarter and is based on the simplified assumptions described above. Non-GAAP Metrics Used in Hypothetical Example As used in this Annual Report, we use hypothetical Equity, Adjusted Capital, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount only as measures in the calculation of the financial metrics that we are required to calculate under the terms of the Management Agreement. All of the adjustments made in our calculation of these metrics are adjustments that were made in calculating our performance for purposes of the required financial metrics under the Management Agreement, and are presented in a manner consistent with the reporting of the metrics to the Manager. Additionally, the terms Equity, Adjusted Capital, Core Earnings, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount are not defined under GAAP and are not measures of shareholder equity, capitalization, operating income or operating performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Our Equity, Adjusted Capital, Core Earnings, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our shareholder equity, capitalization, operating income and operating performance, you should not consider Equity, Adjusted Capital, Core Earnings, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount in isolation, or as a substitute for shareholder equity, capitalization and operating income or other consolidated income statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, other companies may calculate Equity, Adjusted Capital, Core Earnings, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. Further, we note that, as presented in the above table, Adjusted Capital, Core Earnings, Catch-up Amount and Excess Earnings Amount are hypothetical non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliation of those numbers to the most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP are not provided in this Annual Report as they are derived from our actual historical financials and are meant to serve as an illustrative tool to assist the investor in understanding how our Manager’s fees would be calculated based on hypothetical assumptions pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement. Expense Reimbursement We pay all of our costs and expenses and reimburse our Manager and/or its affiliates for expenses of our Manager and/or its affiliates paid or incurred on our behalf, excepting only those expenses that are specifically the responsibility of our Manager pursuant to our Management Agreement. Pursuant to our Management Agreement, we reimburse our Manager and/or its affiliates, as applicable, for our fair and equitable allocable share of the compensation, including annual base salary, bonus, any related withholding taxes and employee benefits, paid to (i) subject to review by the Compensation Committee of our Board, personnel of our Manager and/or its affiliates, as applicable, serving as our Chief Executive Officer (except when the Chief Executive Officer serves as a member of the Investment Committee prior to the 16 Table of Contents consummation of an internalization transaction of our Manager by us), General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Managing Director and any of our other officers based on the percentage of his or her time spent devoted to our affairs and (ii) other corporate finance, tax, accounting, internal audit, legal, risk management, operations, compliance and other non-investment personnel of the Manager and/or its affiliates who spend all or a portion of their time managing our affairs, with the allocable share of the compensation of such personnel described in this clause (ii) being as reasonably determined by our Manager to appropriately reflect the amount of time spent devoted by such personnel to our affairs. The service by any personnel of our Manager and its affiliates as a member of the Investment Committee will not, by itself, be dispositive in the determination as to whether such personnel is deemed “investment personnel” of our Manager and its affiliates for purposes of expense reimbursement. Prior to the consummation of our IPO, we were not obligated to reimburse our Manager or its affiliates, as applicable, for any compensation paid to Mr. Tannenbaum, Mr. Kalikow or Mrs. Tannenbaum. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our Manager did not seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mr. Tannenbaum’s compensation, but did seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mrs. Tannenbaum’s compensation. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our Manager did not seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mr. Kalikow and Mr. Tannenbaum’s compensation, but did seek reimbursement for our allocable share of Mrs. Tannenbaum’s compensation. Costs and expenses paid or incurred by the Manager on our behalf are reimbursed monthly in cash to the Manager and are made regardless of whether any cash distributions are made to our shareholders. Termination Fee Upon termination of our Management Agreement, a Termination Fee will be payable to our Manager by us in cash in the event that (i) we decline to renew our Management Agreement, without cause, upon 180 days prior written notice and the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors that there has been unsatisfactory performance by our Manager that is materially detrimental to us taken as a whole, or (ii) our Management Agreement is terminated by our Manager (effective upon 60 days’ prior written notice) based upon our default in the performance or observance of any material term, condition or covenant contained in our Management Agreement and such default continuing for a period of 30 days after written notice thereof specifying such default and requesting that the same be remedied in such 30-day period. The Termination Fee equals three times the sum of (A) the annual Base Management Fee and (B) the annual Incentive Compensation, in each case, earned by our Manager during the 12-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter prior to the date of termination. Grants of Equity Compensation to Our Manager Pursuant to the 2020 Plan, we may grant equity-based awards and incentives to employees or executive officers of our Manager and other eligible awardees under the 2020 Plan from time to time. These equity-based awards under our 2020 Plan create incentives to improve long-term stock price performance and focus on long-term business objectives, create substantial retention incentives for award recipients and enhance our ability to pay compensation based on our overall performance, each of which further align the interests of our Manager and the other eligible awardees with our shareholders. Our Growth Strategy Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns over time through cash distributions and capital appreciation. We intend to achieve this objective by sourcing, underwriting, structurin g and funding loans to state law compliant cannabis companies. We draw upon our Manager’s expertise in sourcing, underwriting, structuring and funding capabilities to implement our growth strategy. From January 1, 2020 to March 1, 2025, our Manager and its affiliates have had access to over $20.6 billion of potential loan opportunities. We believe we continue to be well positioned to take advantage of the capital supply and demand imbalance that exists in the cannabis market. As the cannabis industry continues to evolve and to the extent that additional states legalize cannabis, the demand for capital is expected to continue to increase as operators seek to enter and build out new markets. We provide borrowers an institutional and flexible alternative for financing. As we continue to grow our available capital, we believe we can commit to additional transactions with strong risk-adjusted returns to diversify our portfolio. In connection with, and effective upon the Spin-Off, the Amended and Restated Management Agreement was amended to update the investment guidelines to focus on our investments in first and second lien loans, typically secured by mortgages and other security interests, to cannabis operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. Therefore, the investment guidelines will no longer include loans and investments made in respect of (x) first lien or second lien loans secured by mortgages or mezzanine loans to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses and (y) the 17 Table of Contents ownership of non-cannabis related commercial real estate assets. Our Manager regularly evaluates our loans and we currently retain an independent third-party valuation firm to provide input on the valuation of unquoted assets, which our Manager considers along with various other subjective and objective factors when making any such evaluation. The collateral underlying our loans is located in states in the U.S. that we believe have attractive regulatory environments for companies operating in the cannabis industry, economic conditions and commercial real estate fundamentals. Key elements of our strategy include: • Targeting loans for origination and/or investment that typically have the following characteristics: – principal balance greater than $10.0 million; – real estate collateral coverage of at least one times the principal balance; – secured by commercial real estate properties; and – well-capitalized sponsors with substantial experience in particular relevant sectors and geographic markets. • Diversifying our financing sources with increased access to equity and debt capital, which may provide us with a lower overall cost of funding and the ability to hold larger loan sizes, among other things. Underwriting and Investment Process Pursuant to the Management Agreement, our Manager manages our loans and day-to-day operations, subject at all times to the further terms and conditions set forth in the Management Agreement and such further limitations or parameters as may be imposed from time to time by our Board. Our Manager’s rigorous underwriting and investment process enables us to source, screen and ultimately provide debt capital to established cannabis industry participants in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. Our Manager as well as our management team provided by our Manager and our Board strive to be attuned to the macro-environment and political environment as they relate to the lending and cannabis industries. 18 Table of Contents We expect to benefit from the tested method of capital allocation and on-going investment monitoring developed by our Manager. The primary objectives of the investment process are for it to be repeatable, dependable, and able to produce attractive risk-adjusted returns. The primary components of the investment process are as follows: Origination Underwriting Investment Committee Legal Documentation and Post-Closing • Direct origination platform works to create enhanced yields and allows us to put in greater controls for loans in which our Manager originates and structures • Disciplined underwriting process leads to a highly selective approach • Focused on managing credit risk through comprehensive investment review process • Investment team works alongside external counsel to negotiate credit agreements and collateral liens • Platform drives increased deal flow, which provides for improved loan selectivity • Potential loans are screened based on four key criteria: company profile, state dynamics, regulatory matters and real estate asset considerations • The Investment Committee must approve each loan before commitment papers are issued • Emphasis is placed on financial covenants and limitations on actions that may be adverse to lenders • Allows for specific portfolio construction and a focus on higher quality companies • For the cannabis pipeline, as of March 1, 2025 since January 1, 2020, we had 9 active loans in our pipeline at various stages in the diligence process, and we had passed on 828 of 871 sourced loan opportunities due to, among other reasons, lack of collateral, lack of cash flow, stage of company, state dynamics and lack of cash flow • Other tools that we frequently use to verify data include, but are not limited to: appraisals, quality of earnings, environmental reports, site visits, construction review, anti-money laundering compliance, comparable company analyses and background checks • Members of the Investment Committee currently include: Leonard M. Tannenbaum, Daniel Neville, Bernard D. Berman and Robyn Tannenbaum • Portfolio is proactively managed to monitor ongoing performance, in some instances, through seats on borrowers’ boards of directors or board observer rights Our Manager’s origination team meets regularly to evaluate new loan opportunities, employing a highly collaborative approach to investing. Upon its receipt of an actionable request, our Manager’s deal team prepares a standardized memorandum (an “Early Read Memorandum”) that serves as the initial recommendation to the Investment Committee with respect to initially pursuing such opportunity. This Early Read Memorandum contains key property metrics, typically including, without limitation, property characteristics, preliminary loan terms and structure. Our Manager’s origination team takes a bottom-up, enterprise value-oriented approach to underwriting, focusing on collateral valuation, multiple exit strategies and downside principal protection. The goal of our Manager is to identify key issues and decisions early in the process, including, without limitation, issues relating to the preliminary pricing, asset quality, market, borrower or capital structure. Our Manager also evaluates the Early Read Memorandum prepared by the deal team to evaluate the likely financing terms, comparable market transactions and the impact of the loan on our overall portfolio construction from a diversification and return standpoint. Loans are priced based on our Manager’s view of risk and market conditions. Our Manager confirms that the applicable pricing generates an appropriate expected return on any given loan. Key model inputs typically include: the loan’s credit spread; OID and exit fees (if any); the timing and amount of future funding; the expected tenor and cost of asset-level financing; expected timing of repayments; likelihood of a loan extension past initial maturity; extension fees (if any); the cost of servicing; and an estimate of our management, general and administrative expenses. Model assumptions and pricing methodology are adjusted as needed based on prevailing market conditions, investor sentiment and activity and 19 Table of Contents portfolio allocations and concentrations at the time of pricing. Returns on targets are not a reliable indicator of future performance and no guarantee or assurance is given that such returns will be achieved or that an investment will not result in losses. Target return rates are based on our good faith and reasonable assumptions. Actual events or conditions may differ materially from these assumptions, and therefore, actual returns could be substantially lower. Competition We operate in a competitive market for the origination and acquisition of attractive lending opportunities. We compete with a variety of institutional investors, including other REITs, debt funds, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, investment banking firms, financial institutions, private equity and hedge funds, and other entities. Some of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. Several of our competitors, including other REITs, have recently raised, or are expected to raise, significant amounts of capital and may have investment objectives that overlap with our investment objectives, which may create additional competition for lending and other investment opportunities. Some of our competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that may not be available to us or are only available to us on substantially less attractive terms. Many of our competitors are not subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exemption from the Investment Company Act. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more lending relationships than we do. Competition may result in realizing fewer investments, higher prices, acceptance of greater risk, greater defaults, lower yields or a narrower spread of yields over our borrowing costs. In addition, competition for attractive investments could delay the investment of our capital. In the face of this competition, we have access to our Manager’s professionals and their financing industry expertise and relationships, which may provide us with a competitive advantage in competing effectively for attractive investment opportunities and help us assess risks and determine appropriate pricing for certain potential investments. We also believe we have a more flexible funding structure than our competitors with typical REIT land ownership models, given our ability to redeploy funds more quickly. The duration of our loans, as compared to the length of leases usually employed by REIT land ownership models, allows us to redeploy our capital with more flexibility as market changes occur instead of being locked in for longer periods of time. This model also allows our borrowers to retain control of their real estate assets, which is important to their businesses and allows for more flexibility regarding their capital structure. Although we believe our Manager’s expertise and our flexible funding structure provide us with valuable competitive advantages, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. Regulatory Environment Our operations are subject to regulation, supervision, and licensing under various United States, state, provincial, and local statutes, ordinances and regulations. In general, lending is a highly regulated industry in the United States and we are required to comply with, among other statutes and regulations relating to lending and to the cannabis industry, certain provisions of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the USA Patriot Act, regulations promulgated by the Office of Foreign Asset Control, and U.S. federal and state securities laws and regulations. In addition, certain states have adopted laws or regulations that may, among other requirements, require licensing of lenders and financiers, prescribe disclosures of certain contractual terms, impose limitations on interest rates and other charges, and limit or prohibit certain collection practices and creditor remedies. Last, because our borrowers are engaged in commercial cannabis activities in the U.S., our operations are also subject to federal and state laws relating to cannabis. We are required to comply with the applicable laws and regulations in the states in which we do business. We actively monitor proposed changes to relevant legal and regulatory requirements in order to maintain our compliance. The Dodd-Frank Act The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) made significant structural reforms to the financial services industry. For example, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, various federal agencies have promulgated, or are in the process of promulgating, regulations with respect to various issues that may affect our Company. Certain regulations have already been adopted and others remain under consideration by various governmental agencies, in some cases past the deadlines set in the Dodd-Frank Act for adoption. It is possible that regulations that will be adopted in the future will apply to us or that existing regulations that are currently not applicable to us will begin to apply to us as our business evolves. 20 Table of Contents REIT Qualification We have made an election to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2020. We generally must distribute annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, subject to certain adjustments and excluding any net capital gain, in order for us to continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under U.S. federal tax laws. Our qualification as a REIT also depends on our ability to meet various other requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which relate to organizational structure, diversity of stock ownership, and certain restrictions with regard to the nature of our assets and the sources of our income. Even if we continue to qualify as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal excise taxes and state and local taxes on our income and assets. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates, and applicable state and local taxes, and will not be able to qualify as a REIT for the subsequent four years. Furthermore, we have a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”), which when active, pays U.S. federal, state, and local income tax on its net taxable income. Investment Company Act We have not been and are not currently required to be registered under the Investment Company Act pursuant to Section 3(c)(5) (the “Section 3(c)(5) Exemption”) of the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities; or owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We intend to conduct our operations so that we will be exempt from the provisions of the Investment Company Act pursuant to the Section 3(c)(5) Exemption. We intend to conduct our operations so that any wholly owned or majority owned subsidiary does not come within the definition of an investment company or will be exempt from the provisions of the Investment Company Act pursuant to an exemption contained in 3(c)(1), 3(c)(5) or 3(c)(7) thereunder. The Section 3(c)(5) Exemption is available for entities “primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate.” On the basis of no-action letters and interpretive guidance provided by the SEC and its staff, this exemption generally requires that at least 55% of an entity’s assets must be comprised of qualifying assets and at least 80% of such entity’s assets must be comprised of qualifying assets and real estate-related assets (and no more than 20% of such entity’s assets may be comprised of non-qualifying or non-real estate-related assets). “Qualifying assets” for this purpose include, for example, certain mortgage loans, certain B-Notes and certain mezzanine loans that satisfy various conditions as interpreted by the SEC staff in various no-action letters and other SEC interpretive guidance. Investments that do not satisfy the “qualifying asset” conditions set forth in the relevant SEC staff no-action letters and other guidance, may be classified as real estate-related or non-real estate-related assets, depending upon applicable SEC guidance, if any. We classify our assets for purposes of our Section 3(c)(5) Exemption based upon no-action positions taken by the SEC staff and interpretive guidance provided by the SEC and its staff. We are seeking to maintain an exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act on an ongoing basis. Thus, maintaining our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits. For more information on regulatory risks, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure—Maintenance of our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act may impose significant limits on our operations. Your investment return in our common stock may be reduced if we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.” The Investment Company Act provides certain protections and imposes certain restrictions on registered investment companies, none of which are currently applicable to us. Our governing documents do not permit any transfer of shares of our common stock that would result in us becoming subject to regulation as an investment company. If we were required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we would become subject to substantial regulation with respect to our capital structure (including our ability to use leverage), management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons (as defined in the Investment Company Act), portfolio composition, including restrictions with respect to diversification and industry concentration, and other matters. 21 Table of Contents Federal Laws Applicable to the Regulated Cannabis Industry Cannabis other than hemp (defined by the U.S. government as Cannabis sativa L . with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis), is a prohibited controlled substance under U.S. federal law. The U.S. federal government regulates drugs through the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, as amended (21 U.S.C. § 801, et seq.) (the “CSA”) . Although cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, all but two states now have some form of cannabis legalization, and more than half of the country’s population live in states that allows for “adult use” of cannabis leading to even more widespread commercialization of cannabis by licensed entities. The legal status of cannabis at the federal level could soon change. On August 29, 2023, HHS issued a letter to the DEA recommending that cannabis be reclassified as a Schedule III controlled substance under the CSA. Following that recommendation, DOJ issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the “NPRM”) proposing to reschedule cannabis, and DEA issued a notice for a hearing. On May 16, 2024, President Joe Biden announced that his administration was officially moving to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance under the CSA. There was a 60-day public comment period, however the rule has yet to be finalized. The NPRM hearing commenced in November 2024, but the hearing is currently stayed pending an administrative interlocutory appeal. It is unclear when the hearing will recommence. If this move is confirmed, it would be a momentous change whose full implications are currently unknown. The DEA’s decision to reclassify cannabis would neither legalize nor likely eliminate current state cannabis program. If placed under Schedule III, cannabis will remain a controlled substance and state-legal programs will continue to operate outside of federally legal channels in their distribution of the substance, particularly because no state operator holds a DEA registration to possess or distribute cannabis. The new administration under President Trump has yet to make a public statement regarding the federal legal status of cannabis and its position regarding the NPRM is unknown. In addition to potentially reclassifying cannabis under the CSA, the federal government has made several public statements around state legalization, discussed below, that indicate a willingness to allow the state programs to continue to develop, and, further federal reforms are expected over the next several years. Consistent with that, the federal government has chosen not to interfere with the state-regulated cannabis programs and has not brought criminal enforcement against state law compliant cannabis licensees or those doing business with them for the past ten years. Nonetheless, the federal government could enforce U.S. drug laws against non-medical companies operating in accordance with state cannabis laws, including our borrowers, creating a climate of legal uncertainty regarding the production and sale of cannabis. Unless and until Congress amends the CSA with respect to cannabis (and the President approves such amendment), there is a risk that the federal law enforcement authorities responsible for enforcing the CSA, including the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”), may reverse course and strictly enforce current federal law against state law compliant cannabis companies. It is unclear whether that policy of prosecutorial discretion will continue under the new Trump administration; despite positive statements concerning cannabis during the campaign, his Attorney General and DEA Administrator appointees have not supported cannabis in the past. Therefore, federal prosecutions against state-legal entities cannot be ruled out entirely at this time. Any change in the federal government’s enforcement posture with respect to state-licensed commercialization of cannabis, including the enforcement postures of individual federal prosecutors in judicial districts where our borrowers are located, could result in significant losses for our borrowers, and we would likely suffer losses with respect to our investment in such borrowers, which would adversely affect the trading price of our securities. For more information on regulatory risks, see “ Risk Factors — Risks Related to the Cannabis Industry and Related Regulations .” State Regulation of the Cannabis Industry Forty-one states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam have legalized the commercial sale of cannabis for certain medical purposes. Twenty-four of those states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Northern Mariana have legalized cannabis for adults for non-medical purposes as well (sometimes referred to as adult or recreational use). Two of those states have legalized forms of low-potency cannabis, for select medical conditions. In most states that have legalized cannabis in some form, the growing, processing and/or dispensing of cannabis is highly regulated and requires that the operator obtain one or more licenses in accordance with applicable state requirements. Local governments in some cases also impose rules and regulations on the manner of operating cannabis businesses. As a result, applicable state and local laws and regulations vary widely, including, but not limited to, who can purchase and grow cannabis, the forms and potencies of cannabis products allowed, product testing, the level of enforcement by state and local authorities on non-licensed cannabis operators, state and local taxation of regulated cannabis products, and local municipality bans on operations and operator licensing processes. Additionally, these state regulations continue to evolve, and our borrowers will sometimes need to make changes to their businesses to comply with new legal requirements. 22 Table of Contents Because cannabis is such a highly regulated industry, we expect a significant amount of our borrower’s management’s time and external resources will be used to comply with the laws, regulations and guidelines that impact their business, and changes thereto, and such compliance may place a significant burden on such management and other resources of our borrowers. Complying with multiple regulatory regimes will require additional resources and may limit our borrowers’ ability to expand into certain jurisdictions. Furthermore, we cannot predict the nature of any future laws, regulations, interpretations or applications, and it is possible that regulations may be enacted in the future that will be materially adverse to the business of our borrowers, and thus materially impact our investments as well. Human Capital We are externally-managed by our Manager and do not have any employees. Our officers also serve as officers or employees of our Manager and/or its affiliates. Our Manager’s employees have extensive financing capabilities and experience in originating, underwriting and managing real estate and cash flow financings. We believe our relationship with our Manager provides us with an robust relationship network of cannabis industry operators as well as significant back-office personnel to assist in origination and management of loans. Our Manager’s employees are a valuable asset to our operations, and we believe each person is an integrated member of the team and is meaningful to our continued success. Our Manager’s team meets regularly as a full team where each member is encouraged to actively participate in a wide range of topics relating to our operations. We believe that our Manager’s ability to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel is essential to our operations. While we are a young company, having commenced operations in July 2020 and completed our IPO in March 2021, we believe our Manager provides a committed team of employees with substantial experience in each aspect of our operations, including cash flow and real estate lending, construction and real estate development, portfolio management, corporate finance and capital markets. Additional Information We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly, and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). This information is available on our website at www.advancedflowercapital.com. The information on our website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this Annual Report or incorporated into any other filings that we make with the SEC. These documents also may be accessed through the SEC’s electronic data gathering, analysis and retrieval system via electronic means, including on the SEC’s homepage, which can be found at www.sec.gov .