Our Commitment

At Franklin BSP Realty Trust ("FBRT"), we believe we have a responsibility to serve, support and be transparent with our stakeholders, and, as part of this overall mission, be committed to effectively managing ESG issues. We believe that our focus on sustainability priorities can help drive sustainable business practices that are crucial to our long-term growth.

Recent ESG accomplishments include:

We reinforced our commitment to sustainability and published our 2023 corporate responsibility report

Aligns its commercial real estate lending and business practices with the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (“UN PRI”), of which Franklin Templeton is a signatory

Our Chairman and Board members met with several of our largest institutional stockholders to engage on ESG matters

BSP committed to an organizational diversity action plan, and became a signatory to ILPA’s Diversity in Action initiative

BSP established an ESG committee comprised of senior executives across the organization, including FBRT

Environmental Responsibility

We are committed to responsible environmental practices that include conservation of natural resources, pollution prevention and reduction of waste. As a financial services company, FBRT's operations, by their nature, do not emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. However, as climate change concerns become more prevalent, we recognize the need to identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve efficiencies and to comply with increased regulations and stricter environmental standards.

As a leading commercial real estate lender, FBRT regularly considers environmental risks as part of our underwriting process. For example, we generally require a Phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) in connection with all loans. In addition, we consider various environmental characteristics, including LEED and other green certifications and energy and water efficiency, in evaluating the sustainability and marketability of property collateral supporting our loans.

Corporate Responsibility Report

Corporate Environmental Policy

Corporate Governance

FBRT is committed to achieving excellence in our corporate governance practices. We emphasize a culture of accountability and conduct our business in a manner that is fair, ethical, and responsible to earn the trust of our stakeholders. FBRT has comprehensive corporate governance policies and structures in place to foster accountability and transparency for our management team. These policies reflect our underlying commitment to maintain the highest standards of ethics and integrity and to operate our business in compliance with all applicable anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and anti-trust laws and regulations. We also maintain robust risk management programs to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing ethical business practices.

For more detailed information about our corporate governance policies, please visit our governance documents page found here.

Corporate Responsibility Report

2023 Proxy Statement

Our Affiliations and Partnerships

FBRT is externally managed by Benefit Street Partners, L.L.C ("BSP"), an investment adviser registered with the SEC. BSP is a leading, credit-focused alternative asset management firm who is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Franklin Templeton), a United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investing (“PRI”) signatory. Franklin Templeton is one of the world's largest independent investment managers. Our relationships with our external manager, BSP, and our parent organization, Franklin Templeton, are integral to our ESG story. Our policies are driven by the framework that makes up these companies.

BSP is a signatory to the Institutional Limited Partners Association ("ILPA") Diversity in Action initiative.