Unassociated Document

INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT

AGREEMENT made as of the 20th day of September, 2007, by and among Research Affiliates, a California limited liability company located in Pasadena, CA (the “Sub-Advisor”), and Ascentia Capital Partners a Limited Liability Corp. located in Reno, NV (the “Advisor”).

WHEREAS, Trust for Professional Managers, a Delaware statutory trust located at 615 E. Michigan Street, Milwaukee WI 53202 (the “Trust”), is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and

WHEREAS, the Ascentia Alternative Strategies Fund (the “Fund”) is a separate series of the Trust having separate assets and liabilities;

WHEREAS, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor are each engaged in the business of rendering investment advice; and

WHEREAS, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor are each registered as investment advisors under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”); and

WHEREAS, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has retained the Advisor to render investment management services to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement dated as of September 20, 2007 (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, the Investment Advisory Agreement allows the Advisor to delegate certain of its responsibilities under the Investment Advisory Agreement to others; and

WHEREAS, the Advisor seeks to delegate certain of its responsibilities under the Investment Advisory Agreement to the Sub-Advisor pursuant to this Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (the “Agreement”).

NOW, THEREFORE, WITNESSETH: That it is agreed among the parties hereto as follows:

1.	APPOINTMENT OF SUB-ADVISOR.

(a)

Acceptance. The Sub-Advisor is hereby appointed as a non-discretionary sub-advisor and the Sub-Advisor hereby accepts the appointment, on the terms herein set forth and for the compensation herein provided, to act as a non-discretionary investment sub-adviser to that portion of the Fund’s portfolio designated by the Advisor (the “Portfolio”).

(b)

Independent Contractor. The Sub-Advisor shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or be deemed an agent of the Fund.

(c)

The Sub-Advisor’s Representations. The Sub-Advisor represents, warrants and agrees that it has all requisite power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, and has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize its execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

The Sub-Advisor represents, warrants and agrees that it is registered as an adviser under the Advisers Act. The Sub-Advisor will promptly notify the Advisor of the occurrence of any event that would disqualify the Sub-Advisor from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9(a) of the 1940 Act or otherwise.

The Sub-Advisor has adopted a written code of ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and, if it has not already done so, will provide the Advisor and the Trust with a copy of such code of ethics. On at least an annual basis, the Sub-Advisor will comply with the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-1, which may include (i) certifying to the Advisor that the Sub-Advisor and its access persons have complied with the Sub-Advisor’s code of ethics with respect to the Portfolio, and (ii) identifying any material violations which have occurred with respect to the Portfolio. Upon reasonable notice from and the reasonable request of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall permit the Advisor, its employees and its agent to examine the reports required to be made by the Sub-Advisor pursuant to Rule 17j-1 and all other records relevant to the Sub-Advisor’s code of ethics.

The Sub-Advisor has adopted and implemented written policies and procedures, as required by Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, which are reasonably designed to prevent violations of federal securities laws by the Sub-Advisor, its employees, officers, and agents. Upon reasonable notice to and reasonable request, the Sub-Advisor shall provide the Advisor with access to the records relating to such policies and procedures as they relate to the Portfolio. The Sub-Advisor will also provide, at the reasonable request of the Advisor, periodic certifications, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Advisor, attesting to such written policies and procedures.

(d)

The Advisor’s Representations. The Advisor represents, warrants and agrees that it has all requisite power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, and has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize its execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement.

The Advisor further represents, warrants and agrees that it has the authority under the Investment Advisory Agreement to appoint the Sub-Advisor.

The Advisor further represents and warrants that it has received a copy of Part II of the Sub-Advisor’s Form ADV.

The Advisor further represents and warrants that the Fund is either (i) excluded from the definition of the term “pool” under Section 4.5 of the General Regulations under the Commodity Exchange Act (“Rule 4.5”), or (ii) a qualifying entity under Rule 4.5(b) for which a notice of eligibility has been filed.

The Advisor has provided the Sub-Advisor with the Fund’s most current prospectus and statement of additional information contained in the Trust’s registration statement (collectively, the “Prospectus”) and the Trust’s Code of Ethics and instructions, policies and directions of the Trustees pertaining to the Advisor and the Fund, as in effect from time to time. The Advisor shall promptly furnish to the Sub-Advisor copies of all material amendments or supplements to the foregoing documents.

The Advisor will provide timely information to the Sub-Advisor regarding such matters as inflows to and outflows from the Fund and the cash requirements of, and cash available for investment in, the Fund.

The Advisor will timely provide the Sub-Advisor with copies of monthly accounting statements for the Fund, and such other information as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate in order for the Sub-Advisor to perform its responsibilities hereunder.

(e)	Plenary authority of the Board of Trustees. The Sub-Advisor and Advisor both acknowledge that the Fund is a mutual fund that operates as a series of the Trust under the authority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees”).

2.	PROVISION OF INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY SERVICES.

Within the framework of the fundamental policies, investment objectives, and investment restrictions of the Fund, and subject to the supervision and review of the Advisor and the Board of Trustees, the Advisor shall have the sole and exclusive responsibility for the making of all investment decisions for the Portfolio, including purchase, retention and disposition of securities, in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Prospectus.

As of the date of this Agreement approximately 35% of the Fund’s investable assets will be allocated to the Portfolio, and on each business day during the term of this Agreement the same percentage of the net cash derived from purchases, or required for redemptions, of Fund shares will normally be added to or withdrawn from the Portfolio; provided, however, that the Advisor has the right at any time to reallocate the portion of the Fund’s assets allocated to the Portfolio pursuant to this Agreement if the Advisor deems such reallocation appropriate.

The Sub-Advisor will, at its own expense:

(a)

advise the Advisor in connection with investment policy decisions to be made by it regarding the Fund and, upon request, furnish the Advisor with research, economic and statistical data in connection with the Fund’s investments and investment policies;

(b)

submit such reports and information as the Advisor or the Fund may reasonably request to assist the Fund’s custodian (the “Custodian”), administrator or fund accounting agent, in its or their determination of the market value of securities held in the Fund;

(c)

provide to Advisor instructions as to the placement of orders for purchases and sales of portfolio investments for the Fund;

(d)

maintain and preserve the records relating to its activities hereunder required by applicable law to be maintained and preserved by the Sub-Advisor, and the Sub-Advisor hereby agrees that it shall provide to the Advisor copies of all records which it maintains relating to the Fund at the Advisor’s expense upon the Fund’s request;

(e)

inform the Advisor and the Board of Trustees of material changes in investment strategy recommendations or tactics or in key personnel;

(f)

furnish to the Board of Trustees such information as may reasonably be necessary in order for such Trustees to evaluate this Agreement or any proposed amendments hereto for the purpose of casting a vote pursuant to Section 7 hereof;

(g)

notify the Advisor of any material changes in its ownership within a reasonable time prior to such changes; and

(h)

provide reasonable assistance to the Trust in connection with the Trust’s compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, and Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act. Such assistance shall include, but not be limited to, (i) certifying periodically, upon the reasonable request of the Trust, that it is in compliance with all applicable “federal securities laws,” as required by Rule 38a-1(e)(1) under the 1940 Act, and Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; and (ii) providing the Trust’s chief compliance officer with direct access to its compliance personnel; (iii) providing the Trust’s chief compliance officer with periodic reports; and (iv) promptly providing special reports to the Trust’s chief compliance officer in the event of compliance problems.

3.	ALLOCATION OF EXPENSES.

Each party to this Agreement shall bear the costs and expenses of performing its obligations hereunder. In this regard, the Advisor specifically agrees that the Fund shall assume the expense of:

(a)

brokerage commissions for transactions in the portfolio investments of the Fund and similar fees and charges for the acquisition, disposition, lending or borrowing of such portfolio investments;

(b)

custodian fees and expenses;

(c)

all taxes, including issuance and transfer taxes, and reserves for taxes payable by the Fund to federal, state or other government agencies; and

(d)	interest payable on any Fund borrowings.

SUB-ADVISORY FEES.

For all of the services rendered with respect to the Fund as herein provided, the Advisor shall pay to the Sub-Advisor a fee (for the payment of which the Fund shall have no obligation or liability), based on the Current Net Assets of the Portfolio (as defined below), as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof. Such fee shall be accrued daily and payable monthly, as soon as practicable after the last day of each calendar month. In the case of termination of this Agreement with respect to the Fund during any calendar month, the fee with respect to such Portfolio accrued to, but excluding, the date of termination shall be paid promptly following such termination. For purposes of computing the amount of advisory fee accrued for any day, “Current Net Assets” shall mean the Portfolio’s net assets as of the most recent preceding day for which the Fund’s net assets were computed.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS.

In connection with the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Portfolio, the Advisor is authorized to select the brokers or dealers that will execute purchase and sale transactions for the Portfolio and to use all reasonable efforts to obtain the best available price and most favorable execution with respect to all such purchases and sales of portfolio securities for said Portfolio. The Advisor shall maintain records adequate to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of this section. Subject to the policies as the Board of Trustees may determine and consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Advisor shall have the right to follow a policy of selecting brokers who furnish brokerage and research services to the Fund or to the Advisor, and who charge a higher commission rate to the Fund than may result when allocating brokerage solely on the basis of seeking the most favorable price and execution. The Advisor shall determine in good faith that such higher cost was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided and shall make reasonable reports regarding such determination and description of the products and services obtained if so requested by the Fund.

The Advisor, and not the Sub-Advisor, has the authority to direct the Custodian to open and maintain brokerage accounts for securities and other property, including financial and commodity futures and commodities and options thereon (all such accounts hereinafter called “brokerage accounts”) for and in the name of the Fund and to execute for the Fund as its agent and attorney-in-fact standard customer agreements with such broker or brokers as the Sub-Advisor shall select as provided above. The Advisor may, using such of the securities and other property in the Fund as the Advisor deems necessary or desirable, direct the Custodian to deposit for the Fund original and maintenance brokerage and margin deposits and otherwise direct payments of cash, cash equivalents and securities and other property into such brokerage accounts and to such brokers as the Advisor deems desirable or appropriate. The Advisor shall cause all securities and other property purchased or sold for the Fund to be settled at the place of business of the Custodian or as the Custodian shall direct. All securities and other property of the Fund shall remain in the direct or indirect custody of the Custodian. The Advisor shall notify the Custodian as soon as practicable of the necessary information to enable the Custodian to effect such purchases and sales.

The Sub-Advisor shall not have any authority to instruct the Custodian in any manner.

LIABILITY; STANDARD OF CARE.

The Sub-Advisor, its affiliates, agents and employees, shall be indemnified by the Advisor against all liabilities, losses or claims (including reasonable expenses arising out of defending such liabilities, losses or claims):

(a)

arising from the Fund’s or the Advisor’s directions to the Sub-Advisor or Custodian, or brokers, dealers or others with respect to the making, retention or sale of any investment or reinvestment hereunder; or

(b)

arising from the acts or omissions of the Advisor, the Custodian or the Fund, their respective affiliates, agents or employees;

except for any such liability or loss which is due to the negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith of the Sub-Advisor, its affiliates, agents and employees, or the Sub-Advisor’s reckless disregard of its duties and obligations. The Sub-Advisor shall also be without liability hereunder and shall be indemnified pursuant to this Section for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and without negligence.

The Sub-Advisor shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the discharge of its duties under this Agreement; shall comply with the investment policies, guidelines and restrictions of the Fund; shall act at all times in the best interests of the Fund; and shall discharge its duties with the care, skill, prudence and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of a similar enterprise.

The Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed by virtue of this Agreement to have made any representation or warranty that any level of investment performance or level of investment results will be achieved.

7.	TERM AND TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT; NO ASSIGNMENT

(a) This Agreement shall go into effect as to the Fund at the time the Fund commences operations pursuant to an effective amendment to the Trust’s Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and shall continue for an initial term of two years from that date, unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. This Agreement shall continue in effect thereafter for additional periods not exceeding one (l) year so long as such continuation is approved for the Fund at least annually by (i) the Board of Trustees or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The terms “majority of the outstanding voting securities” and “interested persons” shall have the meanings as set forth in the 1940 Act;

(b) This Agreement may be terminated by the Trust on behalf of the Fund at any time without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees, by the Advisor, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund without the payment of any penalties, upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Sub-Advisor, and by the Sub-Advisor upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Fund and the Advisor. In the event of a termination, the Sub-Advisor shall cooperate in the orderly transfer of the Fund’s affairs and, at the request of the Board of Trustees or the Advisor, transfer any and all books and records of the Fund maintained by the Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund;

(c) This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of any transfer or assignment thereof, as defined in the 1940 Act; and

(d) This Agreement will also terminate in the event that the Investment Advisory Agreement is terminated.

SERVICES NOT EXCLUSIVE.

The services of the Sub-Advisor to the Fund are not to be deemed exclusive and it shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services hereunder are not impaired thereby. It is specifically understood that directors, officers and employees of the Sub-Advisor and of its subsidiaries and affiliates may continue to engage in providing portfolio management services and advice to other investment advisory clients.

NO BORROWING.

The Sub-Advisor agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall borrow from the Fund or pledge or use the Fund's assets in connection with any borrowing not directly for the Fund's benefit. For this purpose, failure to pay any amount due and payable to the Fund for a period of more than thirty (30) days shall constitute a borrowing.

10.

AMENDMENT.

No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by all parties.

12.

NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION.

Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Sub-Advisor hereto agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, trustees, shareholders, officers, and employees (1) to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Fund (a) all records and other information relative to the Fund’s prior, present, or potential shareholders (and clients of said shareholders) and (b) any Nonpublic Personal Information, as defined under Section 248.3(t) of Regulation S-P (“Regulation S-P”), promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “G-L-B Act”), and (2) except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, or as otherwise permitted by Regulation S-P or the G-L-B Act, and if in compliance therewith, the privacy policies adopted by the Trust and communicated in writing to the Sub-Advisor. Such written approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by the Trust and may not be withheld where the Sub-Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt or other proceedings for failure to comply after being requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities.

12.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE.

The Sub-Advisor acknowledges that, in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, the USA PATRIOT Act, and any implementing regulations thereunder (together, “AML Laws”), the Trust has adopted an Anti-Money Laundering Policy. The Sub-Advisor agrees to comply with the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Policy and the AML Laws, as the same may apply to the Sub-Advisor, now and in the future. The Sub-Advisor further agrees to provide to the Trust and/or the Fund’s administrator such reports, certifications and contractual assurances as may be reasonably requested by the Trust. The Trust may disclose information regarding the Sub-Advisor to governmental and/or regulatory or self-regulatory authorities to the extent required by applicable law or regulation and may file reports with such authorities as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

14.

NOTICES.

Notices and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing, shall be deemed to be effectively delivered when actually received, and may be delivered by US mail (first class, postage prepaid), by facsimile transmission, by hand or by commercial overnight delivery service, addressed as follows:

		ADVISOR:
		Ascentia Capital Partners, LLC
		9408 Double R Blvd #B
		Reno, NV 89521
		Attn: Steve McCarty

		SUB-ADVISOR:
		Research Affiliates, LLC
		155 North Lake Avenue, Suite 900
		Pasadena, CA 91101
		Attn: Janine Nesbit, Principal

		FUND:
		Trust for Professional Managers
		On behalf of the Ascentia Alternative Strategies Fund
		615 East Michigan Street, 3^rd Floor
		Milwaukee, WI 53202
		Attn: Rachel A. Spearo

15.

GOVERNING LAW.

This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to preempt, or to be inconsistent with, any federal law, regulation or rule, including the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

16.

ASSIGNMENT.

This Agreement may not be assigned by any party, either in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of each other party.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day first set forth above.

Ascentia Capital Partners, LLC

By: /s/ Stephen McCarty

Name: Stephen McCarty

Title: President

Research Affiliates, LLC

By: /s/ Janine Nesbit

Name: Janine Nesbit

Title: Principal

SCHEDULE A

FEES

Series of Trust for Professional Managers	Annual Fee Rate

Ascentia Alternative Strategies Fund	1.95% of average current net assets of the Portfolio