Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-255589

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell and are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where such offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 13, 2023

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated April 29, 2021)

Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc.

$                

% Notes due 2028

We operate as a closed-end, externally managed, non-diversified management investment company and have elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation primarily through assembling a portfolio of secured debt investments in U.S. middle market companies. Our core investment strategy focuses on lending to U.S. middle market companies, which we define as companies with approximately $25 million to $100 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, supported by financial sponsors. This core strategy is opportunistically supplemented with differentiated and complementary lending and investing strategies, which take advantage of the broad capabilities of Carlyle’s Global Credit platform while offering risk-diversifying portfolio benefits. We seek to achieve our investment objective primarily through direct origination of secured debt instruments, including first lien senior secured loans (which may include stand-alone first lien loans, first lien/last out loans and “unitranche” loans) and second lien senior secured loans (collectively, “Middle Market Senior Loans”), with a minority of our assets invested in higher yielding investments (which may include unsecured debt, subordinated debt and investments in equities). The Middle Market Senior Loans are generally made to private U.S. middle market companies that are, in many cases, controlled by private equity firms.

We are offering $                million in aggregate principal amount of                % notes due 2028 (the “Notes”). The Notes will mature on December 1, 2028. We will pay interest on the Notes on March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on March 1, 2024. We may redeem the Notes in whole or in part at any time or from time to time on or after December 1, 2025, at the redemption price as set forth under “Description of the Notes—Optional Redemption” in this prospectus supplement. Holders of the Notes will not have the option to have the Notes repaid prior to the stated maturity date. The Notes will be issued in minimum denominations of $25 and integral multiples of $25 in excess thereof.

The Notes will be our direct unsecured obligations and rank equal in right of payment with all outstanding and future unsecured, unsubordinated indebtedness issued by us (including our 4.750% senior unsecured notes due December 31, 2024 (the “2019 Notes”) and our 4.500% senior unsecured notes due December 31, 2024 (the “2020 Notes”)). Because the Notes will not be secured by any of our assets, they will be effectively subordinated to any existing and future secured indebtedness of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (including borrowing under our senior secured revolving credit facility), or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured as to which we subsequently grant a security interest, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. The Notes will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other obligations of any of our subsidiaries (including notes issued by our wholly-owned consolidated subsidiary, Carlyle Direct Lending CLO 2015-1R LLC (the “2015-1R Notes”)) since the Notes will be obligations exclusively of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. and not of any of our subsidiaries. The Notes will be senior in right of payment to our common stock, our cumulative convertible preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”) and any additional series of our preferred stock we may issue in the future. None of our subsidiaries is a guarantor of the Notes and the Notes will not be required to be guaranteed by any subsidiary we may acquire or create in the future.

We intend to list the Notes on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “CGBDL.” The Notes are expected to trade “flat,” which means that purchasers will not pay, and sellers will not receive, any accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes that is not reflected in the trading price. Currently there is no public market for the Notes.

Investing in the Notes involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of leverage. Before buying any Notes, you should read the material risks described in the “Supplementary Risk Factors” section beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement and in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 13 of the accompanying prospectus and under similar headings in the other documents that we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

The Notes are not deposits or other obligations of a bank and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain important information you should know before investing in the Notes, including information about risks. Please read these documents before you invest and retain them for future reference. Additional information about us, including our annual, quarterly and current reports, has been filed with the SEC and can be accessed free of charge at its website at www.sec.gov. This information is also available free of charge by calling us at (212) 813-4900 or on the Investor Resources section of our corporate website located at http://carlylesecuredlending.com/, which, except for the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, is not part of this prospectus supplement nor the accompanying prospectus. You may also call us collect at this number to request other information or to make an investor inquiry. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page S-30 of this prospectus supplement.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Delivery of the Notes in book-entry form only through The Depository Trust Company will be made on or about November                , 2023.

Joint Book-Running Managers

Co-Managers

The date of this prospectus supplement is November    , 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

Prospectus

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus set forth the information that you should know before investing in the Notes. You should read these documents, which contain important information, particularly the information described under the “Supplementary Risk Factors” included in this prospectus supplement, “Risk Factors” included in the accompanying prospectus and our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, and under similar headings in the other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, before deciding whether to invest in the Notes.

This prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering, also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus. The accompanying prospectus gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. If the description of this offering varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in this prospectus supplement. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date, the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized any other person to provide you with different or inconsistent information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give you. The information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the respective dates of such information regardless of the time of delivery or any sale of the Notes. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell the Notes in any jurisdiction where such an offer or sale is not permitted.

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SUPPLEMENTARY RISK FACTORS

Investing in the Notes involves a number of significant risks. You should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus authorized for use by us and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before making a decision to purchase the Notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or not presently deemed material by us, may also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the trading price of the Notes could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to the Notes

The Notes will be unsecured and therefore will be effectively subordinated to any existing and future secured indebtedness and will rank pari passu with, or equal to, all outstanding and future unsecured indebtedness issued by us, including our 2019 Notes and our 2020 Notes, and our general liabilities.

The Notes will not be secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of our subsidiaries. As a result, the Notes will be effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness we have outstanding as of the date of this prospectus supplement, including $340.3 million outstanding under our Credit Facility as of November 10, 2023, or that we may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured to which we subsequently grant security) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the holders of any of our existing or future secured indebtedness and the secured indebtedness of our subsidiaries may assert rights against the assets pledged to secure that indebtedness in order to receive full payment of their indebtedness before the assets may be used to pay other creditors, including the holders of the Notes. In addition, the Notes will rank pari passu with, or equal to, all outstanding and future unsecured indebtedness issued by us, of which we had

$190 million aggregate principal amount outstanding as of November 10, 2023, including our 2019 Notes and our 2020 Notes, and our general liabilities.

The Notes will be structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The Notes will be obligations exclusively of CSL and not of any of our subsidiaries. None of our subsidiaries will be a guarantor of the Notes and the Notes will not be required to be guaranteed by any subsidiaries we may acquire or create in the future. Any assets of our subsidiaries will not be directly available to satisfy the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes. Except to the extent we are a creditor with recognized claims against our subsidiaries, all claims of creditors of our subsidiaries will have priority over our equity interests in such subsidiaries (and therefore the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes) with respect to the assets of such subsidiaries. Even if we are recognized as a creditor of one or more of our subsidiaries, our claims would still be effectively subordinated to any security interests in the assets of any such subsidiary and to any indebtedness or other liabilities of any such subsidiary senior to our claims. Consequently, the Notes will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of any of our subsidiaries and any subsidiaries that we may in the future acquire or establish, including SPV and 2015-1 Issuer. As of November 10, 2023, there was approximately $449.2 million of debt outstanding under the 2015-1R Notes. Borrowings under the 2015-1R Notes are the obligation of 2015-1 Issuer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours, and are structurally senior to the Notes. In addition, our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, all of which would be structurally senior to the Notes.

The indenture under which the Notes will be issued will contain limited protection for holders of the Notes.

The indenture under which the Notes will be issued offers limited protection to holders of the Notes. The terms of the indenture and the Notes do not restrict our or any of our subsidiaries’ ability to engage in, or otherwise be a party to, a variety of corporate transactions, circumstances or events that could have a material adverse impact on your investment in the Notes. In particular, the terms of the indenture and the Notes will not place any restrictions on our or our subsidiaries’ ability to:

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In addition, the indenture and the Notes will not require us to make an offer to purchase the Notes in connection with a change of control or any other event.

Furthermore, the terms of the indenture and the Notes do not protect holders of the Notes in the event that we experience changes (including significant adverse changes) in our financial condition, results of operations or credit ratings, if any, as they do not require that we or our subsidiaries adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth, revenues, income, cash flow, or liquidity.

Our ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt (including additional debt that matures prior to the maturity of the Notes) and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the Notes may have important consequences for you as a holder of the Notes, including making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the Notes or negatively affecting the trading value of the Notes.

Other debt we issue or incur in the future could contain more protections for its holders than the indenture and the Notes, including additional covenants and events of default. The issuance or incurrence of any such debt with incremental protections could affect the market for, trading levels, and prices of the Notes.

There is no existing trading market for the Notes and, even if Nasdaq approves the listing of the Notes, an active trading market for the Notes may not develop, which could limit your ability to sell the Notes and/or the market price of the Notes.

The Notes will be a new issue of debt securities for which there is no trading market. We intend to list the Notes on Nasdaq within 30 days of the original issue date under the symbol “CGBDL.” However, there is no assurance that the Notes will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Moreover, even if the listing of the Notes is approved, we cannot provide any assurances that an active trading market will develop or be maintained for the Notes or that you will be able to sell your Notes. If the Notes are traded after their initial issuance, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities, our credit ratings, if any, general economic conditions, our financial condition, performance and prospects and other factors. The underwriters have advised us that they intend to make a market in the Notes, but they are not obligated to do so. The underwriters may discontinue any market-making in the Notes at any time at their sole discretion.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that the Notes will be approved for listing on Nasdaq, that a liquid trading market will develop or be maintained for the Notes, that you will be able to sell your Notes at a particular time or that the price you receive when you sell will be favorable. To the extent an active trading market does not develop, the liquidity and trading price for the Notes may be adversely affected. Accordingly, you may be required to bear the financial risk of an investment in the Notes for an indefinite period of time.

The amount of our debt outstanding will increase as a result of this offering, and if we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the Notes.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under the Credit Facility, the terms of our 2019 Notes and 2020 Notes or other indebtedness to which we may be a party, that is not waived by the required lenders or holders, and the remedies sought by the lenders or holders of such indebtedness, could make us unable to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes and substantially decrease the market value of the Notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, as applicable, in the instruments governing our indebtedness, we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of such default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, the lenders under the Credit Facility or other debt we may incur in the future could elect to terminate their commitments, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

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Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow in the future is, to some extent, subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors as well as other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations, or that future borrowings will be available to us under the Credit Facility or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to enable us to meet our payment obligations under the Notes, the 2019 Notes, the 2020 Notes, and the Credit Facility, and to fund other liquidity needs.

If our operating performance declines and we are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt obligations, we may in the future need to refinance or restructure our debt, including the Notes, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, seek to raise additional capital or seek to obtain waivers from the required lenders under the Credit Facility or the holders of our 2019 Notes and our 2020 Notes or other debt that we may incur in the future to avoid being in default. If we are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, we may not be able to meet our payment obligations under the Notes or our other debt. If we breach our covenants under the Credit Facility, the 2019 Notes, the 2020 Notes or other debt and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders or holders. If this occurs, we would be in default under the Credit Facility, the 2019 Notes, the 2020 Notes or other debt, the lenders or holders could exercise their rights as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations, including the lenders under the Credit Facility, could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. Because the Credit Facility, the 2019 Notes and the 2020 Notes have, and any future credit facilities or other indebtedness will likely have, customary cross-default provisions, if the indebtedness under the Notes, the 2019 Notes, the 2020 Notes or the Credit Facility or under any future credit facility or other indebtedness is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

We may choose to redeem the Notes when prevailing interest rates are relatively low.

On or after December 1, 2025, we may choose to redeem the Notes from time to time, especially if prevailing interest rates are lower than the rate borne by the Notes. If prevailing rates are lower at the time of redemption, and we redeem the Notes, you likely would not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as the interest rate on the Notes being redeemed. Our redemption right also may adversely impact your ability to sell the Notes as the optional redemption date or period approaches.

Our management will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways that you and other securityholders may not approve.

Our management will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used in ways with which you may not agree or may not otherwise be considered appropriate. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The failure of our management to use these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we may invest a portion of net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to us or our stockholders.

A downgrade, suspension or withdrawal of any credit rating assigned by a rating agency to us or the Notes or change in the debt markets could cause the liquidity or market value of the Notes to decline significantly.

Any credit rating is an assessment by rating agencies of our ability to pay our debts when due. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in any credit ratings will generally affect the market value of the Notes. These credit ratings may not reflect the potential impact of risks relating to the structure or marketing of the Notes. Credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, and may be revised or withdrawn at any time by the issuing organization in its sole discretion. Neither we nor any underwriter undertakes any obligation to obtain or maintain any credit ratings or to advise holders of Notes of any changes in any credit ratings. There can be no assurance that any credit ratings will remain for any given period of time or that such credit ratings will not be lowered or withdrawn entirely by the rating agencies if in their judgment future circumstances relating to the basis of the credit ratings, such as adverse changes in our Company, so warrant. The conditions of the financial markets and prevailing interest rates have fluctuated in the past and are likely to fluctuate in the future, which could have an adverse effect on the market prices of the Notes.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus relating to this offering other than historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements.” These statements may relate to, among other things, future events or our future performance or financial condition, our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies, actual and potential conflicts of interest with our Adviser and its affiliates, the use of borrowed money to finance our investments, the adequacy of our financing sources and working capital, and our ability to co-invest, among other factors. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “estimate,” “may,” “might,” “believe,” “will,” “provided,” “anticipate,” “future,” “could,” “growth,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “if,” “seek,” “possible,” “potential,” “likely” or the negative or variations of such terms or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include:

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We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from our historical performance. We have based forward-looking statements on information available to us on the date of this prospectus supplement. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this prospectus supplement. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports or other documents we have filed, or in the future may file, with the SEC, including subsequent annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that net proceeds from the sale of $                aggregate principal amount of the Notes in this offering will be approximately $                (or approximately $                if the underwriters fully exercise their overallotment option) after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions of $                 (or $                if the underwriters fully exercise their overallotment option) payable by us and estimated offering expenses of approximately $                 payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay approximately $                 of the amount outstanding under the Credit Facility, to fund new investment opportunities, and for other general corporate purposes. Affiliates of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are lenders under the Credit Facility, and will receive a portion of the proceeds from this offering. See “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)”. As of November 10, 2023, we had $340.3 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. The Credit Facility matures on August 31, 2028 and advances under the Credit Facility generally bear interest at either (i) a term benchmark rate of the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted Euribor Rate, or the applicable Local Rate, as the case may be, or (ii) an Alternate Base Rate (which is the highest of (a) the Prime Rate, (b) the NYFRB Rate plus 0.50%, or (c) the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for one month plus 1.00%) plus an applicable margin (each as defined in the Credit Facility). We intend to re-borrow under our Credit Facility to make investments in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objectives depending on the availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent with our investment objectives and market conditions and for other general corporate purposes.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2023:

You should read the data set forth in the table below in conjunction with the section titled “Use of Proceeds” and “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, as well as our unaudited financial statements and the accompanying notes and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” each included in our September 30, 2023 Form 10-Q and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

The following description of the particular terms of the Notes offered by this prospectus supplement adds information to, and to the extent inconsistent therewith, supersedes the description of the general terms and provisions of debt securities under the heading “Description of Debt Securities” in the accompanying prospectus.

The Notes will be issued under a base indenture to be dated as of November                 , 2023 and a first supplemental indenture thereto to be dated November                , 2023, between us and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A, as trustee. We refer to the indenture and the first supplemental indenture collectively as the “indenture” and to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A as the “trustee.” The Notes are governed by the indenture, as required by federal law for all bonds and notes of companies that are publicly offered. An indenture is a contract between us and the financial institution acting as trustee on your behalf, and is subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The trustee has two main roles. First, the trustee can enforce your rights against us if we default. There are some limitations on the extent to which the trustee acts on your behalf, described in the second paragraph under “ —Events of Default—Remedies if an Event of Default Occurs” below. Second, the trustee performs certain administrative duties for us with respect to the Notes.

This section includes a summary description of the material terms of the Notes and the indenture. Because this section is a summary, however, it does not describe every aspect of the Notes and the indenture. We urge you to read the indenture because it, and not this description, defines your rights as a holder of the Notes. The base indenture and the first supplemental indenture will be attached as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, in each case, as will be filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement for information on how to obtain a copy of the indenture.

General

The Notes will mature on December 1, 2028. The principal payable at maturity will be 100% of the aggregate principal amount. The interest rate of the Notes is                 % per year and will be paid every March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1, commencing March 1, 2024, and the regular record dates for interest payments will be every February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15, commencing February 15, 2024. If an interest payment date falls on a non-business day, the applicable interest payment will be made on the next business day and no additional interest will accrue as a result of such delayed payment. The initial interest period will be the period from and including November                 , 2023, to, but excluding, the initial interest payment date, and the subsequent interest periods will be the periods from and including an interest payment date to, but excluding, the next interest payment date or the stated maturity date, as the case may be.

We will issue the Notes in denominations of $25 and integral multiples of $25 in excess thereof. The Notes will not be subject to any sinking fund and holders of the Notes will not have the option to have the Notes repaid prior to the stated maturity date.

The indenture does not limit the amount of debt (including secured debt) that may be issued by us or our subsidiaries under the indenture or otherwise, but does contain a covenant regarding our asset coverage that would have to be satisfied at the time of our incurrence of additional indebtedness. See “— Covenants” and “— Events of Default.” Other than as described under “— Covenants” below, the indenture does not restrict us from paying dividends or issuing or repurchasing our other securities. Other than restrictions described under “— Merger or Consolidation” below, the indenture does not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to afford holders of the Notes protection in the event of a highly leveraged transaction involving us or if our credit rating declines as the result of a takeover, recapitalization, highly leveraged transaction or similar restructuring involving us that could adversely affect your investment in the Notes.

We may, without the consent of the holders of the Notes, issue additional notes under the indenture with the same terms (except for the issue date, public offering price, and if applicable, the initial interest payment date); provided that if such additional notes are not treated as fungible with the Notes offered hereby for United States federal income tax purposes then such additional notes would have different CUSIP numbers than the Notes offered hereby.

Covenants

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Optional Redemption

The Notes may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option on or after December 1, 2025, upon not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice prior to the date fixed for redemption thereof, at a redemption price of 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest payments otherwise payable thereon for the then-current quarterly interest period accrued to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption. As long as the Notes are in book-entry form and represented by a global security, the notice of redemption will be sent in accordance with the procedures of DTC.

You may be prevented from exchanging or transferring the Notes when they are subject to redemption. In case any Notes are to be redeemed in part only, the redemption notice will provide that, upon surrender of such Note, you will receive, without a charge, a new Note or Notes of authorized denominations representing the principal amount of your remaining unredeemed Notes. Any exercise of our option to redeem the Notes will be done in compliance with the indenture and the 1940 Act, to the extent applicable.

If we redeem only some of the Notes, the trustee or, with respect to global securities, DTC, will determine the method for selection of the particular Notes to be redeemed, in accordance with the indenture and the 1940 Act, to the extent applicable, and in accordance with the rules of any national securities exchange or quotation system on which the Notes are listed. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the date of redemption, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes called for redemption.

In connection with a redemption, we, and not the trustee, will be responsible for determining whether such redemption is in accordance with the 1940 Act or the rules of any national securities exchange or quotation system on which the Notes are listed.

Global Securities

Each Note will be issued in book-entry form and represented by a global security that we deposit with and register in the name of DTC or its nominee. A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary or its nominee, unless special termination situations arise. As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and holder of all the Notes represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. For more information about these arrangements, see “—Book-Entry Procedures” below.

Termination of a Global Security

If a global security is terminated for any reason, interests in it will be exchanged for certificates in non-book-entry form (certificated securities). After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold the certificated Notes directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in a global security transferred on termination to their own names, so that they will be holders.

Conversion and Exchange

The Notes are not convertible into or exchangeable for other securities.

Payment and Paying Agents

We will pay interest to the person listed in the trustee’s records as the owner of the Notes at the close of business on a particular day in advance of each due date for interest, even if that person no longer owns the Note on the interest due date (the “record date”). Because we will pay all the interest for an interest period to the holders on the record date, holders buying and selling the Notes must work out between themselves the appropriate purchase price. The most common manner is to adjust the sales price of the Notes to prorate interest fairly between buyer and seller based on their respective ownership periods within the particular interest period. This prorated interest amount is called “accrued interest.”

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Payments on Global Securities

We will make payments on the Notes so long as they are represented by a global security in accordance with the applicable policies of the depositary as in effect from time to time. Under those policies, we will make payments directly to the depositary, or its nominee, and not to any indirect holders who own beneficial interests in the global security. An indirect holder’s right to those payments will be governed by the rules and practices of the depositary and its participants, as described under “— Book-Entry Procedures ” below.

Payments on Certificated Securities

In the event the Notes become represented by certificated securities, we will make payments on the Notes as follows. We will pay interest that is due on an interest payment date to the holder of the Notes as shown on the trustee’s records as of the close of business on the regular record date. We will make all payments of principal and premium, if any, by check at the corporate trust office or agency of the trustee and/or at other offices that may be specified in the indenture or a notice to holders against surrender of the Note.

Alternatively, if the holder asks us to do so, we will pay any amount that becomes due on the debt security by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account at a bank in the United States on the due date. To request payment by wire, the holder must give the trustee or other paying agent appropriate written transfer instructions at least 15 business days before the requested wire payment is due. In the case of any interest payment due on an interest payment date, the instructions must be given by the person who is the holder on the relevant regular record date. Any wire instructions, once properly given, will remain in effect unless and until new instructions are given in the manner described above.

Payment When Offices Are Closed

If any payment is due on the Notes on a day that is not a business day, we will make the payment on the next day that is a business day. Payments made on the next business day in this situation will be treated under the indenture as if they were made on the original due date. Such payment will not result in a default under the Notes or the indenture, and no interest will accrue on the payment amount from the original due date to the next day that is a business day.

Book-entry and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive payments on the Notes.

Events of Default

You will have rights if an Event of Default occurs in respect of the Notes and the Event of Default is not cured, as described later in this subsection.

The term “Event of Default” in respect of the Notes means any of the following:

An Event of Default for the Notes may, but does not necessarily, constitute an Event of Default for any other series of debt securities issued under the same or any other indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of the Notes of any default, except in the payment of principal or interest, if it in good faith considers the withholding of notice to be in the best interests of the holders.

Remedies if an Event of Default Occurs

If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Notes may declare the entire principal amount of all the Notes to be due and immediately payable, but this does not entitle any holder of Notes to any redemption payout or redemption premium. If an Event of Default referred to in the second to last bullet point above with respect to us

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has occurred, the entire principal amount of all of the Notes will automatically become due and immediately payable. This is called a declaration of acceleration of maturity. In certain circumstances, a declaration of acceleration of maturity may be canceled by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes if (1) we have deposited with the trustee all amounts due and owing with respect to the Notes (other than principal or any payment that has become due solely by reason of such acceleration) and certain other amounts, and (2) any other Events of Default have been cured or waived.

The trustee is not required to take any action under the indenture at the request of any holders unless the holders offer the trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee against costs, expenses and liability (called an “indemnity”). If indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee is provided, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. The trustee may refuse to follow those directions in certain circumstances. No delay or omission in exercising any right or remedy will be treated as a waiver of that right, remedy or Event of Default.

Before you are allowed to bypass the trustee and bring your own lawsuit or other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce your rights or protect your interests relating to the Notes, the following must occur:

However, you are entitled at any time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on your Notes on or after the due date.

Book-entry and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how to give notice or direction to or make a request of the trustee and how to declare or cancel an acceleration of maturity.

Each year, we will furnish to the trustee a written statement of certain of our officers certifying that to their knowledge we are in compliance with the indenture and the Notes, or else specifying any default.

Waiver of Default

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes may waive any past defaults other than a default:

Merger or Consolidation

Under the terms of the indenture, we are generally permitted to consolidate or merge with another entity. We are also permitted to sell, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our properties and assets to another entity. However, we may not take any of these actions unless all the following conditions are met:

An assumption by any person of obligations under the Notes and the indenture might be deemed for United States federal income tax purposes to be an exchange of the Notes for new Notes by the holders thereof, resulting in recognition of gain or loss for such purposes and possibly other adverse tax consequences to the holders. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of such an assumption.

Modification or Waiver

There are three types of changes we can make to the indenture and the Notes issued thereunder.

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Changes Requiring Your Approval

First, there are changes that we cannot make to your Notes without your specific approval. The following is a list of those types of changes:

Changes Not Requiring Approval

The second type of change does not require any vote by the holders of the Notes. This type is limited to clarifications and certain other changes that would not adversely affect holders of the Notes in any material respect.

Changes Requiring Majority Approval

Any other change to the indenture and the Notes would require the following approval:

In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent. The holders of a majority in principal amount of all of the series of debt securities issued under the indenture, voting together as one class for this purpose, may waive our compliance with some of our covenants in that indenture. However, we cannot obtain a waiver of a payment default or of any of the matters covered by the bullet points included above under “— Changes Requiring Your Approval.”

Further Details Concerning Voting

When taking a vote, we will use the following rules to decide how much principal to attribute to the Notes:

The Notes will not be considered outstanding, and therefore not eligible to vote, if we have deposited or set aside in trust money for their payment or redemption or if we or any affiliate of ours own any Notes. The Notes will also not be eligible to vote if they have been fully defeased as described later under “— Defeasance — Full Defeasance” below.

We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the holders of the Notes that are entitled to vote or take other action under the indenture. However, the record date may not be earlier than 30 days before the date of the first solicitation of holders to vote on or take such action and not later than the date such solicitation is completed. If we set a record date for a vote or other action to be taken by holders of the Notes, that vote or action may be taken only by persons who are holders of the Notes on the record date and must be taken within eleven months following the record date.

Book-entry and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted or denied if we seek to change the indenture or the Notes or request a waiver.

Satisfaction and Discharge

The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect with respect to the Notes when:

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Defeasance

The following provisions will be applicable to the Notes. “Defeasance” means that, by depositing with a trustee an amount of cash and/or government securities sufficient to pay all principal and interest, if any, on the Notes when due and satisfying any additional conditions noted below, we will be deemed to have been discharged from our obligations under the Notes. In the event of a “covenant defeasance,” upon depositing such funds and satisfying similar conditions discussed below we would be released from certain covenants under the indenture relating to the Notes.

Covenant Defeasance

Under the indenture, we can make the deposit described below and be released from some of the restrictive covenants in the indenture under which the Notes were issued. This is called “covenant defeasance.” In that event, you would lose the protection of those restrictive covenants but would gain the protection of having money and government securities set aside in trust to repay your Notes. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, the following must occur:

If we accomplish covenant defeasance, you can still look to us for repayment of the Notes if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit or the trustee is prevented from making payment. In fact, if one of the remaining Events of Default occurred (such as our bankruptcy) and the Notes became immediately due and payable, there might be a shortfall. Depending on the event causing the default, you may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.

Full Defeasance

The Notes are subject to full defeasance. Full defeasance means that we can legally release ourselves from all payment and other obligations on the Notes, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions (called “full defeasance”), and that we put in place the following other arrangements for you to be repaid:

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If we ever did accomplish full defeasance, as described above, you would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment of the Notes. You could not look to us for repayment in the unlikely event of any shortfall. Conversely, the trust deposit would most likely be protected from claims of our lenders and other creditors if we ever became bankrupt or insolvent.

Form, Exchange and Transfer of Certificated Registered Securities

If registered Notes cease to be issued in book-entry form, they will be issued:

Holders may exchange their certificated securities for Notes of smaller denominations or combined into fewer Notes of larger denominations, as long as the total principal amount is not changed and as long as the denomination is equal to or greater than $25.

Holders may exchange or transfer their certificated securities at the office of the trustee. We have appointed the trustee to act as our agent for registering Notes in the names of holders transferring Notes. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves.

Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their certificated securities, but they may be required to pay any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership.

We may appoint additional transfer agents or cancel the appointment of any particular transfer agent. We may also approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts.

If any certificated securities of a particular series are redeemable and we redeem less than all the Notes, we may block the transfer or exchange of those Notes selected for redemption during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of redemption and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers or exchanges of any certificated Notes selected for redemption, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unredeemed portion of any Note that will be partially redeemed.

If registered Notes are issued in book-entry form, only the depositary will be entitled to transfer and exchange the Notes as described in this subsection, since it will be the sole holder of the Notes.

Resignation of Trustee

The trustee may resign or be removed with respect to the Notes provided that a successor trustee is appointed to act with respect to the Notes. In the event that two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of indenture securities under the indenture, each of the trustees will be a trustee of a trust separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee.

Governing Law

The indenture and the Notes will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Indenture Provisions—Ranking

The Notes will be our direct unsecured obligations and will rank:

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The Trustee under the Indenture

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., serves as the trustee, paying agent and security registrar under the indenture.

Book-Entry Procedures

The Notes will be represented by global securities that will be deposited and registered in the name of DTC or its nominee. This means that, except in limited circumstances, you will not receive certificates for the Notes. Beneficial interests in the Notes will be represented through book-entry accounts of financial institutions acting on behalf of beneficial owners as direct and indirect participants in DTC. Investors may elect to hold interests in the Notes through either DTC, if they are a participant, or indirectly through organizations that are participants in DTC.

The Notes will be issued as fully registered securities registered in the name of Cede & Co. (DTC’s partnership nominee) or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. One fully registered certificate will be issued for each issuance of the Notes, in the aggregate principal amount thereof, and will be deposited with DTC. Interests in the Notes will trade in DTC’s Same Day Funds Settlement System, and any permitted secondary market trading activity in such Notes will, therefore, be required by DTC to be settled in immediately available funds. None of CSL, the trustee or the paying agent will have any responsibility for the performance by DTC or its participants or indirect participants of their respective obligations under the rules and procedures governing their operations.

DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC holds and provides asset servicing for over 3.5 million issues of U.S. and non-U.S. equity, corporate and municipal debt issues, and money market instruments from over 100 countries that DTC’s participants (“Direct Participants”) deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among Direct Participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between Direct Participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct Participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”).

DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Direct Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”). DTC has a Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ rating of AA+. The DTC rules applicable to its participants are on file with the SEC. More information about DTC can be found at www.dtcc.com.

Purchases of the Notes under the DTC system must be made by or through Direct Participants, which will receive a credit for the Notes on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of each actual purchaser of each security, or the “Beneficial Owner,” is in turn to be recorded on the Direct and Indirect Participants’ records. Beneficial Owners will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchase. Beneficial Owners are, however, expected to receive written confirmations providing details of the transaction, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the Direct or Indirect Participant through which the Beneficial Owner entered into the transaction. Transfers of ownership interests in the Notes are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of Direct and Indirect Participants acting on behalf of Beneficial Owners. Beneficial Owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the Notes, except in the event that use of the book-entry system for the Notes is discontinued.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all Notes deposited by Direct Participants with DTC are registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co. or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of the Notes with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other DTC nominee do not effect any change in beneficial ownership. DTC has no knowledge of the actual Beneficial Owners of the Notes; DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the Direct Participants to whose accounts the Notes are credited, which may or may not be the Beneficial Owners. The Direct and Indirect Participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

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Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to Direct Participants, by Direct Participants to Indirect Participants, and by Direct Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices shall be sent to DTC. If less than all of the Notes within an issue are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each Direct Participant in such issue to be redeemed.

Redemption proceeds, distributions, and interest payments on the Notes will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit Direct Participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us or the trustee on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC’s records. Payments by participants to Beneficial Owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such participant and not of DTC nor its nominee, the trustee, or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions, and interest payments to Cede & Co. (or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC) is the responsibility of us or the trustee, but disbursement of such payments to Direct Participants will be the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of such payments to the Beneficial Owners will be the responsibility of Direct and Indirect Participants.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depository with respect to the Notes at any time by giving reasonable notice to us or to the trustee. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor securities depository is not obtained, certificates are required to be printed and delivered. We may decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry-only transfers through DTC (or a successor securities depository). In that event, certificates will be printed and delivered to DTC.

The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for its accuracy.

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CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

This section describes the material United States federal income tax consequences of owning the Notes. It applies to you only if you acquire the Notes in the offering at the public offering price printed on the cover of this prospectus supplement and you hold your Notes as capital assets for tax purposes. This section addresses only United States federal income taxation and does not discuss all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your individual circumstances, including foreign, state or local tax consequences, and tax consequences arising under the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income or the alternative minimum tax. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:

This section is based on the Code, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

If an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purpose holds the Notes, the United States federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the tax treatment of the partnership. A partner in a partnership holding the Notes should consult its tax advisor with regard to the United States federal income tax treatment of an investment in the Notes.

United States Holders

This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States holder. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of a Note and you are, for United States federal income tax purposes:

If you are not a United States holder, this subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to “Non-United States Holders” below.

Payments of Interest. You will be taxed on interest on your Note as ordinary income at the time you receive the interest or when it accrues, depending on your method of accounting for tax purposes.

Purchase, Sale and Retirement of the Notes. Your tax basis in your Note generally will be its cost. You will generally recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or retirement of your Note equal to the difference between the amount you realize on the sale or retirement, excluding any amounts attributable to accrued but unpaid interest (which will be treated as interest payments), and your tax basis in your Note. Capital gain of a noncorporate United States holder is generally taxed at preferential rates where the property is held for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.

Non-United States Holders

This subsection describes the tax consequences to a Non-United States holder. You are a Non-United States holder if you are the beneficial owner of a Note and are not a United States holder nor an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes.

If you are a United States holder, this subsection does not apply to you.

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Interest. Subject to the discussions of FATCA withholding and backup withholding below, interest on a Note that is not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States will generally be exempt from United States federal income and withholding tax under the “portfolio interest exemption,” provided that (i) you do not, actually or constructively, own stock possessing 10% or more of the total voting power of the Company’s outstanding stock, (ii) you are not a controlled foreign corporation that is related to the Company, actually or constructively through sufficient ownership of the Company’s stock and (iii) either (a) you provide to the applicable withholding agent an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form), signed under penalties of perjury, that includes your name and address and that certifies your non-United States status in compliance with applicable law and regulations, or (b) a securities clearing organization, bank or other financial institution that holds customers’ securities in the ordinary course of its trade or business provides a statement to the applicable withholding agent under penalties of perjury on which it certifies that an applicable IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form) has been received by it from you or a qualifying intermediary and furnishes a copy to the applicable withholding agent. This certification requirement may be satisfied with other documentary evidence in the case of a Note held in an offshore account or through certain foreign intermediaries. The applicable withholding agent for purposes of the certification requirement described above is generally the last U.S. payor (or a non-U.S. payor that is a qualified intermediary or a U.S. branch of a foreign person) in the chain of payment before payment to you.

If you cannot satisfy the requirements of the portfolio interest exemption described above, then payments of interest made to you generally will be subject to United States federal withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless either (i) you provide the applicable withholding agent with a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E establishing an exemption from or reduction of the withholding tax under the benefit of an applicable income tax treaty or (ii) the interest is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States and you provide an appropriate statement to that effect on a properly completed and duly executed IRS Form W-8ECI.

If you engaged in a trade or business in the United States and interest on a Note is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, you maintain a permanent establishment in the United States to which such interest is attributable), you will be subject to United States federal income tax on such interest on a net income basis in generally the same manner as a United States holder, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. If you are a non-United States holder that is treated as a foreign corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, you may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate) on your effectively connected earnings and profits, subject to adjustments.

Purchase, Sale and Retirement of the Notes. Subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, you generally will not be subject to United States federal income or withholding tax on any gain realized on a sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of a Note (other than any amount representing accrued but unpaid interest, which will be treated as interest and will generally be subject to the rules discussed above under “Interest”) unless:

If you are described in the first bullet point above, you generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at a flat rate of 30% (unless a lower treaty rate applies) on your gain from the disposition, which may be offset by certain United States-source capital losses. If you are described in the second bullet point above, you will be subject to United States federal income tax on such gain on a net income basis in generally the same manner as a United States holder, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. If you are a non-United States holder that is treated as a foreign corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, you may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate) on your effectively connected earnings and profits, subject to adjustments.

Estate Tax. A Note held by an individual who at death is not a citizen or resident of the United States would not be includible in the individual’s gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes if:

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Withholding

Pursuant to sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, commonly known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), a 30% withholding tax (“FATCA withholding”) may be imposed on certain payments to you or to certain foreign financial institutions, investment funds and other non-U.S. persons receiving payments on your behalf if you or such persons fail to comply with certain information reporting requirements. Payments of interest that you receive in respect of the Notes generally will be subject to this

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withholding if you are a Non-United States holder and you fail to comply with such reporting requirements or if you hold Notes through a non-U.S. person (e.g., a foreign bank or broker) that fails to comply with these reporting requirements and certain withholding requirements (even if payments to you would not otherwise have been subject to FATCA withholding). You should consult your own tax advisors regarding the relevant U.S. law and other official guidance on FATCA withholding.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a refund or credit in respect of some or all of this withholding. However, even if you are entitled to have any such withholding refunded, the required procedures could be cumbersome and significantly delay your receipt of any amounts withheld.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

In general, if you are a United States holder, the applicable withholding agent will be required to report to the IRS all payments of principal and interest on your Note. In addition, the applicable withholding agent will be required to report to the IRS any payment of proceeds of the sale of your Note before maturity within the United States (unless you are an exempt recipient and certify your status as such, if required to do so). Additionally, backup withholding would apply to any payments if you fail to provide an accurate taxpayer identification number, or (in the case of interest payments) you are notified by the IRS that you have failed to report all interest and dividends required to be shown on your federal income tax returns.

The amount of interest that we pay to any Non-United States holder on the Notes will be reported to the Non-United States holder and to the IRS annually on an IRS Form 1042-S, regardless of whether any tax was actually withheld. Copies of these information returns may also be made available under the provisions of a specific income tax treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-United States holder resides. In general, payment of the proceeds from the sale of Notes effected at a foreign office of a foreign broker will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, a sale effected at a foreign office of a broker could be subject to information reporting in the same manner as a sale within the United States (and in certain cases may be subject to backup withholding as well) if (i) the broker has certain connections to the United States, (ii) the proceeds or confirmation are sent to the United States or (iii) the sale has certain other specified connections with the United States, unless the Non-United States holder provides to such broker a withholding certificate or other documentary evidence establishing that such holder is not a United Stats holder and such broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such withholding certificate or documentary evidence is false, or the Non-United States holder is an exempt recipient eligible for an exemption from information reporting and certifies its status as such, if required to do so.

You generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax liability by filing a refund claim with the IRS.

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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and UBS Securities LLC are acting as representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an underwriting agreement among us, the Investment Adviser, the Administrator and the underwriters, dated the date hereof, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the principal amount of Notes set forth opposite its name below.

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the Notes sold under the underwriting agreement if any of the Notes are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

We, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the Notes are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel to the underwriters and certain other conditions, including the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part. Investors must pay for the Notes purchased in this offering on or about                 , 2023.

Overallotment Option

We have granted an option to the underwriters to purchase up to an additional $                 aggregate principal amount of the Notes offered hereby at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, which may be exercised within 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement solely to cover any overallotments. If the underwriters exercise this option, each will be obligated, subject to conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, to purchase a number of additional Notes proportionate to that underwriter’s initial principal amount reflected in the table above.

Commissions and Discounts

An underwriting discount of                 % per Note will be paid by us. This underwriting discount will also apply to any Notes purchased pursuant to the overallotment option. The underwriters have advised us that they propose initially to offer the Notes to the public at the public offering price on the cover of this prospectus supplement and to certain other Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) members at that price less a concession not in excess of $                 per Note. The underwriters may allow, and the dealers may reallow, a discount not in excess of $                 per Note.

The following table shows the total underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. The information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their overallotment option.

The expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discounts and commissions, are estimated at $                and are payable by us. This amount includes the underwriters’ expenses, including legal fees for the underwriters’ legal counsel, that we have agreed to pay at the closing of the offering in an aggregate amount of up to $150,000.

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No Sales of Similar Securities

We have agreed not to directly or indirectly offer, sell, short sell or otherwise dispose of, or enter into any agreement to offer, sell, short sell or otherwise dispose of, any debt securities issued or guaranteed by us or other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for debt securities issued or guaranteed by us or derivative of debt securities issued or guaranteed by us for a period of 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without first obtaining the written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and UBS Securities LLC. This consent may be given at any time without public notice.

Listing

The Notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We intend to list the Notes on the Nasdaq and will use our commercially reasonable efforts to maintain such listing. We expect trading in the Notes on the Nasdaq to begin within 30 days after the original issue date under the trading symbol “CGBDL”. Currently there is no public market for the Notes.

We have been advised by certain of the underwriters that they presently intend to make a market in the Notes after completion of the offering as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. The underwriters are not obligated, however, to make a market in the Notes and any such market-making may be discontinued at any time in the sole discretion of the underwriters without any notice. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or development of a public trading market for, the Notes. If an active public trading market for the Notes does not develop, the market price and liquidity of the Notes may be adversely affected.

Price Stabilization and Short Positions

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell Notes in the open market. These transactions may include overallotment, covering transactions and stabilizing transactions. Overallotment involves sales of securities in excess of the aggregate principal amount of securities to be purchased by the underwriters in the offering, which creates a short position for the underwriters. Covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases of securities made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while the offering is in progress.

The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased Notes sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Any of these activities may cause the price of the Notes to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of such transactions. These transactions may be affected in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time without any notice relating thereto.

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Notes

The underwriters may make prospectuses available in electronic (PDF) format. A prospectus in electronic (PDF) format may be made available on a website maintained by the underwriters, and the underwriters may distribute such prospectuses electronically. The underwriters may allocate a limited principal amount of the Notes for sale to their online brokerage customers.

Other Relationships

Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided in the past and may provide from time to time in the future in the ordinary course of their business certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking and other services to us, our portfolio companies or our affiliates for which they have received or will be entitled to receive separate fees. In particular, the underwriters or their affiliates may execute transactions with us, on behalf of us, any of our portfolio companies or our affiliates. In addition, the underwriters or their affiliates may act as arrangers, underwriters or placement agents for companies whose securities are sold to or whose loans are syndicated to us, our portfolio companies or our affiliates.

The underwriters or their affiliates may also trade in our securities, securities of our portfolio companies or other financial instruments related thereto for their own accounts or for the account of others and may extend loans or financing directly or through derivative transactions to us, any of our portfolio companies or our affiliates.

After the date of this prospectus supplement, the underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time obtain information regarding specific portfolio companies or us that may not be available to the general public. Any such information is obtained by the underwriters and their affiliates in the ordinary course of its business and not in connection with the offering of the Notes. In addition, after the offering period for the sale of the Notes, the underwriters or their affiliates may develop analyses or opinions related to us or our portfolio companies and buy or sell interests in one or more of our portfolio companies on behalf of their proprietary or client accounts and may engage in competitive activities. There is no obligation on behalf of these parties to disclose their respective analyses, opinions or purchase and sale activities regarding any portfolio company or regarding us to our noteholders or any other persons.

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In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, such underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the Notes offered hereby. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the Notes offered hereby. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

We and our investment advisor, Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management L.L.C., are under common control with TCG Capital Markets L.L.C., an underwriter in this offering.

The principal business address of the representatives for the underwriters is Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, and UBS Securities LLC, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019.

Conflicts of Interest

We intend to use a portion of the net proceeds to us from the sale of the Notes to repay approximately $                in outstanding indebtedness under the Credit Facility. Affiliates of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are lenders under the Credit Facility, and may therefore receive a portion of the proceeds from this offering. To the extent that one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates receives more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering, not including underwriting compensation, they will be deemed to have a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of Rule 5121 (“Rule 5121”) of FINRA. Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the requirements of Rule 5121. To the extent a “conflict of interest” exists, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC will not confirm sales to any account over which they exercise discretion without the specific written approval of the account holder.

Alternative Settlement Cycle

It is expected that delivery of the Notes will be made against payment therefor on or about November 20, 2023, which is the fifth business day following the date hereof (such settlement cycle being referred to as “T+5”). Under Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Notes on any date prior to the second business day before delivery thereof will be required, by virtue of the fact that the Notes initially will settle in T+5, to specify an alternative settlement cycle at the time of any such trade to prevent failed settlement. Purchasers of the Notes who wish to trade the Notes prior to their date of delivery hereunder should consult their own advisors.

Other Jurisdictions

Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriters that would permit a public offering of the Notes offered by this prospectus supplement in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The Notes offered by this prospectus supplement may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus supplement or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such Notes be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus supplement comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restriction relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters will be passed upon for us by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Certain matters of Maryland law, including the validity of the Notes to be issued in connection with this offering, will be passed upon for us by Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York, New York.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The financial statements and the senior securities table incorporated in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. We are allowed to “incorporate by reference” the information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to comprise a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC prior to the completion of this offering will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede such information contained in this prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference therein.

We incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus the documents listed below that have been previously filed with the SEC:

We also incorporate by reference into the prospectus additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, from the date of this prospectus supplement until all of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement have been sold or the offering of these securities is otherwise terminated; provided, however, that information “furnished” under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K or other information “furnished” to the SEC which is not deemed filed shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus. Any statement contained in any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such earlier statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

You may obtain copies of any of these filings from us as described below, through the SEC or through the SEC’s website as described under “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus supplement. Documents incorporated by reference are available without charge, excluding all exhibits unless an exhibit has been specifically incorporated by reference into the accompanying prospectus, by writing or calling our Investor Relations Department at the following address and telephone number:

Investor Relations

One Vanderbilt Avenue

Suite 3400

New York, NY 10017

(212) 813-4900

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus constitute part of a registration statement on Form N-2 that we have filed with the SEC, together with any and all amendments and related exhibits under the Securities Act. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement, some of which is contained in exhibits to the registration statement as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information with respect to us and the offering under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement, including the exhibits filed as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus concerning the contents of any contract or any other document are not necessarily complete. If a contract or other document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or otherwise incorporated by reference as an exhibit thereto, please see the copy of the contract or document that has been filed or incorporated by reference. Each statement in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to a contract or document filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit is qualified in all respects by such exhibit.

We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. This information is available free of charge on our website at http://carlylesecuredlending.com/. Except for the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, information contained on our website is not incorporated into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and you should not consider such information to be part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically by us with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website free of charge at www.sec.gov. You can request a copy of any of our SEC filings, including those incorporated by reference herein or in the accompanying prospectus, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the address or telephone number above.

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PROSPECTUS

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Subscription Rights

Warrants

Units

We are an externally managed specialty finance company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation primarily through secured debt investments in U.S. middle market companies. Our core investment strategy focuses on lending to U.S. middle market companies supported by financial sponsors, which we define as companies with approximately $25 million to $100 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. We seek to achieve our investment objective by investing primarily in first lien senior secured loans and second lien senior secured loans, with the balance of our assets invested in higher yielding investments. As of December 31, 2020, our investment portfolio consisted of 160 investments in 117 portfolio companies with an aggregate fair value of $1,826 million.

We are managed by Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management L.L.C., an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Carlyle Global Credit Administration L.L.C. provides the administrative services necessary for us to operate. Both Carlyle Global Credit Investment Management L.L.C. and Carlyle Global Credit Administration L.L.C. are wholly owned subsidiaries of Carlyle Investment Management L.L.C., a subsidiary of The Carlyle Group Inc. (formerly, The Carlyle Group L.P.). The Carlyle Group Inc. is a global alternative asset manager with $246 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2020.

We may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings or series, our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or units comprised of any combination of the foregoing, which we refer to, collectively, as the “securities.” The preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights and warrants (including as part of a unit) offered hereby may be convertible or exchangeable into shares of our common stock. The securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus.

In the event we offer our common stock, the offering price per share of our common stock exclusive of any underwriting commissions or discounts will not be less than the net asset value per share of our common stock at the time we make the offering except (1) in connection with a rights offering to our existing stockholders, (2) with the consent of the majority of our voting securities and approval of our Board of Directors or (3) under such circumstances as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, may permit.

The securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers, including existing stockholders pursuant to subscriptions rights, or through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. Each prospectus supplement relating to an offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of the securities, and will disclose any applicable purchase price, fee, discount or commissions arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell any of the securities pursuant to this registration statement through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this prospectus and a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “CGBD.” On April 27, 2021 the last reported sales price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $13.83 per share. The NAV per share of our common stock at December 31, 2020 (the last date prior to the date of this prospectus on which we determined NAV per share) was $15.39.

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, that are listed on an exchange frequently trade at a discount to their NAV per share. If our shares trade at a discount to our NAV per share, it may increase the risk of loss for purchasers in any offerings pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplements.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, contain important information you should know before investing in our securities. Please read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before you invest and keep each for future reference. Information required to be included in a Statement of Additional Information may be found in this prospectus and an accompanying prospectus supplement, as applicable. We also file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the SEC. You may obtain this information or make stockholder inquiries by written or oral request and free of charge by contacting us by mail at our principal executive offices located at One Vanderbilt Avenue, Suite 3400, New York, NY 10017, on our website at www.tcgbdc.com, or by calling us at (212) 813-4900. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be a part of this prospectus. The SEC also maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains this information.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk, including credit risk and the risk of the use of leverage, and is highly speculative. Before buying any securities, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our securities that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 13 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, as well as in the applicable prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

We invest in securities that have been rated below investment grade by independent rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. These securities, which are often referred to as “junk” or “high yield,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

The date of this prospectus is April 28, 2021.

INDEX

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplements or any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information or to make any representations not contained in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplements or any free writing prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus is accurate after their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

TRADEMARKS

This prospectus contains trademarks and service marks owned by Carlyle (as defined below). This prospectus may also contain trademarks and service marks owned by third parties.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, using the “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, which includes a delayed offering in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), we may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings or series, our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or units comprised of any combination of the foregoing, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering.

The securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that we may offer. Each time we use this prospectus to offer securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Please carefully read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplements, including any information incorporated herein by reference, together with any exhibits and the additional information described under the headings “Additional Information” and “Risk Factors” and in the documents we have referred you to in “Information Incorporated by Reference” before you make an investment decision.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in the Company involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks set out below and described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our 2020 Annual Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, together with the other information set forth in this prospectus and in the other documents that we include or incorporate by reference into this prospectus before making a decision about investing in our securities. The risks set out below and discussed in our 2020 Annual Report are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. The following considerations, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, should be carefully evaluated before making an investment in the Company. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating result could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, our NAV and the trading price of our common stock and the trading price, if any, of any other securities that we may issue could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Offerings Pursuant to this Prospectus

Investing in our securities may involve a high degree of risk.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative and aggressive, and therefore an investment in our securities may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The market price of our securities may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and liquidity of the market for our common stock and any other securities that we may issue may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

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In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our stock price fluctuates significantly, we may be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount to NAV and may do so again, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital.

We cannot assure you that a trading market for our common stock can be sustained. In addition, we cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade. Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount to NAV and our common stock may also be discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our NAV per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below NAV. The risk of loss associated with this characteristic of closed-end management investment companies may be greater for investors expecting to sell shares of common stock purchased in the offering soon after an offering.

In addition, when our common stock is trading below its NAV, we will generally not be able to sell additional shares of our common stock to the public at its market price without, among other things, first obtaining the requisite approval of our stockholders. Pursuant to approval granted at a special meeting of stockholders held on October 28, 2020, we are authorized, with the approval of the Board, to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below the then-current net asset value per share, subject to certain limitations (including that the number of shares issued does not exceed 25% of our then-outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering). Such stockholder approval expires on October 28, 2021.

We issued the Preferred Stock in May 2020 and we may in the future determine to issue additional preferred stock, which could adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

On May 5, 2020 we issued the Preferred Stock. The Preferred Stock ranks senior to our common stock with respect to the payment of dividends and distribution of assets upon liquidation. The Preferred Stock has a liquidation preference equal to $25 per share (the “Liquidation Preference”) plus any accumulated but unpaid dividends up to but excluding the date of distribution.

The Preferred Stock is convertible, in whole or in part, at the option of the holder of the Preferred Stock into the number of shares of common stock equal to the Liquidation Preference plus any accumulated but unpaid dividends, divided by an initial conversion price of $9.50, subject to certain adjustments to prevent dilution as set forth in the articles supplementary (the “Articles Supplementary”) that established the terms of the Preferred Stock. The conversion price as of December 31, 2020 was $9.50.

Each holder of Preferred Stock is entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders. In addition, for so long as we are subject to the Investment Company Act, the holders of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class, have the right to elect two members of the Board at all times, and the balance of the directors will be elected by the holders of the common stock and the Preferred Stock voting together.

The issuance of the Preferred Stock and any shares of additional preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, the dividends on the Preferred Stock and on any additional preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of the Preferred Stock and any additional preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of the Preferred Stock or any additional preferred stock are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference (other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock). In addition, under the Investment Company Act, the Preferred Stock and any additional preferred stock constitute a “senior security” for purposes of the 150% asset coverage test.

Our stockholders may experience dilution upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock.

If we deliver shares of common stock upon a conversion of the Preferred Stock at a time our NAV per share exceeds the conversion price in effect at such time, our stockholders may incur dilution. Our stockholders will also experience dilution in their ownership percentage of common stock upon our issuance of common stock in connection with the conversion of the Preferred Stock.

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In addition, any dividends paid on our common stock will also be paid on shares of our common stock issued in connection with a conversion of the Preferred Stock after such issuance.

Holders of the Preferred Stock have the right to elect members of the board of directors and class voting rights on certain matters.

Holders of the Preferred Stock and of any additional preferred stock we might issue, voting separately as a single class, would have the right to elect two members of the board of directors at all times and in the event dividends become two full years in arrears would have the right to elect a majority of the directors until such arrearage is completely eliminated. In addition, preferred stockholders have class voting rights on certain matters, including changes in fundamental investment restrictions and conversion to open-end status, and accordingly can veto any such changes. Restrictions imposed on the declarations and payment of dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock and preferred stock, both by the Investment Company Act and by requirements imposed by rating agencies or the terms of our credit facilities, might impair our ability to maintain our qualification as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. While we would intend to redeem our preferred stock to the extent necessary to enable us to distribute our income as required to maintain our qualification as a RIC, there can be no assurance that such actions could be effected in time to meet the tax requirements.

Purchases of our common stock under our stock repurchase program, including a Company 10b5-1 Plan, may have resulted in the price of our common stock being higher than the price that otherwise might have existed in the open market.

On November 2, 2020, the Company’s Board authorized a 12-month extension of a previously approved $100 million stock repurchase program (the “Company Stock Repurchase Program”) as well as the expansion of the authorization to $150 million. Under such authorization, the Company Stock Repurchase Program will continue in effect until the earlier of November 3, 2021 and the date on which $150 million has been used to repurchase shares (including amounts already used to repurchase common stock prior to the extension of the Program). Pursuant to the Program, the Company is authorized to repurchase its outstanding common stock in the open market and/or through privately negotiated transactions at prices not to exceed the Company’s net asset value per share as reported in its most recent financial statements, in accordance with the guidelines specified in Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Company is authorized to determine, in its discretion, the timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases, based upon the evaluation of economic and market conditions, stock price, available cash, applicable legal and regulatory requirements and other factors, which may include purchases pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. The Program does not require the Company to repurchase any specific number of shares and there can be no assurance as to the amount of shares repurchased under the Program. The Program may be suspended, extended, modified or discontinued by the Company at any time, subject to applicable law.

Pursuant to the authorization described above, the Company adopted a 10b5-1 plan (the “Company 10b5-1 Plan”). The Company 10b5-1 Plan provides that purchases will be conducted on the open market in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 and 10b-18 under the Exchange Act and will otherwise be subject to applicable law, which may prohibit purchases under certain circumstances. The amount of purchases made under the Company 10b5-1 Plan or otherwise and how much will be purchased at any time is uncertain, dependent on prevailing market prices and trading volumes, all of which we cannot predict.

These activities may have had the effect of maintaining the market price of our common stock or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock, and, as a result, the price of our common stock may have been higher than the price that otherwise might have existed in the open market.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

As of February 22, 2021, we had 55,048,840 shares of common stock outstanding. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of such shares for sale, including as a result of the sale of our common stock issued upon conversion of the Preferred Stock, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities should we desire to do so.

Our stockholders will experience dilution in their ownership percentage if they opt out of our dividend reinvestment plan.

Our dividend reinvestment plan is an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan, pursuant to which all dividends declared in cash payable to stockholders that do not elect to receive their distributions in cash are automatically reinvested in shares of our common stock, rather than receiving cash. As a result, our stockholders that “opt out” of our dividend reinvestment plan may experience dilution in their ownership percentage of our common stock over time. See “Price Range of Common Stock and Distributions” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for a description of our dividend policy and obligations.

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If the current period of capital market disruption and instability continues for an extended period of time, there is a risk that our stockholders may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and a portion of our distributions to our stockholders may be a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. It is not assured that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference, including risk factors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, if corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities and factories in the jurisdictions, including the United States, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be or are again subject to temporary closures for an extended period of time, it could result in reduced cash flows to us from our existing portfolio companies, which could reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders. If we declare a dividend and if enough stockholders opt to receive cash distributions rather than participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, we may be forced to sell some of our investments in order to make cash dividend payments. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. The Preferred Stock is entitled to be paid dividends in full prior to the declaration or payment of a dividend on our common stock. In addition, the Credit Facility may also limit our ability to declare dividends if we default under certain provisions. Further, if we invest a greater amount of assets in equity securities that do not pay current dividends, it could reduce the amount available for distribution. See “Price Range of Common Stock and Distributions.” The above referenced restrictions on distributions may also inhibit our ability to make required interest payments to holders of our debt, which may cause a default under the terms of our debt agreements. Such a default could materially increase our cost of raising capital, as well as cause us to incur penalties under the terms of our debt agreements.

The distributions we pay to our stockholders in a year may exceed our taxable income for that year and, accordingly, a portion of such distributions may constitute a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes that would reduce a stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock or preferred stock and correspondingly increase such stockholder’s gain, or reduce such stockholder’s loss, on disposition of such shares. Distributions in excess of a stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock or preferred stock will constitute capital gains to such stockholder.

Our stockholders may receive shares of our common stock as dividends, which could result in adverse tax consequences to them.

In order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement applicable to RICs, we will have the ability to declare a large portion of a dividend in shares of our common stock instead of in cash. As long as a portion of such dividend is paid in cash and certain requirements are met, the entire distribution generally will be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a stockholder generally would be taxed on 100% of the fair market value of the dividend on the date the dividend is received by the stockholder in the same manner as a cash dividend, even though most of the dividend was paid in shares of our common stock. If a U.S. stockholder sells the common stock that it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the trading price (if any) of our common stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in common stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders were to determine to sell shares of our common stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price (if any) of our common stock. It is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to pay taxable dividends of the type described in this paragraph.

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will include in our taxable income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount (“OID”) or accruals on a contingent payment debt instrument, which may occur if we receive warrants in connection with the origination of a loan or possibly in other circumstances or contracted payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest, which generally represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Any such income would be treated as income earned by us and therefore would be subject to the Annual Distribution Requirement (as defined and explained more fully in “ U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company”). We also may be required to include in our taxable income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash. The credit risk associated with the collectability of deferred payments may be increased as and when a portfolio company increases the amount of interest on which it is deferring cash payment through deferred interest features. Our investments with a deferred interest feature may represent a higher credit risk than loans for which interest must be paid in full in cash on a regular basis. For example, even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still default when our actual collection is scheduled to occur upon maturity of the obligation.

Because in certain cases we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty making distributions to our stockholders that will be sufficient to enable us to meet the Annual Distribution

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Requirement necessary for us to maintain our status as a RIC. Accordingly, we may need to sell some of our assets at times and/or at prices that we would not consider advantageous, we may need to raise additional equity or debt capital, or we may need to forego new investment opportunities or otherwise take actions that are disadvantageous to our business (or be unable to take actions that are advantageous to our business) to enable us to make distributions to our stockholders that will be sufficient to enable us to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement. However, under the Investment Company Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our stockholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless an “asset coverage” test is met.

If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement, we may fail to qualify for the U.S. federal income tax benefits allowable to RICs and, thus, become subject to a corporate-level U.S. federal income tax (and any applicable U.S. state and local taxes). Additionally, we may make investments that result in the recognition of ordinary income rather than capital gain, or that prevent us from accruing a long-term holding period. These investments may prevent us from making capital gain distributions.

Alternatively, we may, with the consent of all our stockholders, designate an amount as a consent dividend (i.e., a deemed dividend). In that case, although we would not distribute any actual cash to our stockholders, the consent dividend would be treated like an actual dividend under the Code for all U.S. federal income tax purposes. This would allow us to deduct the amount of the consent dividend and our stockholders would be required to include that amount in income as if it were actually distributed. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of a RIC, see “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.”

Non-U.S. stockholders may be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax on dividends we pay.

Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” to a non-U.S. stockholder that are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States may be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate provided by an applicable income tax treaty) to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Certain properly designated dividends are generally exempt from withholding of U.S. federal income tax, including certain dividends that are paid in respect of our (i) “qualified net interest income” (generally, our U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which we or the non-U.S. stockholder are at least a 10% stockholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) “qualified short-term capital gains” (generally, the excess of our net short-term capital gain over our long-term capital loss for such taxable year), and certain other requirements were satisfied. No assurance can be given as to whether any of our distributions will be eligible for this exemption from withholding of U.S. federal income tax or, if eligible, will be designated as such by us. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders.”

The trading market or market value of any publicly issued debt securities may fluctuate.

Any publicly issued debt securities that we may issue may or may not have an established trading market. We cannot assure you that a trading market for any publicly issued debt securities will ever develop or be maintained if developed. In addition to our creditworthiness, many factors may materially adversely affect the trading market for, and market value of, any publicly issued debt securities. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

In addition, there may be a limited number of buyers if and when a decision is made to sell your debt securities. This too may materially adversely affect the market value of such debt securities or the trading market for the debt securities.

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Terms relating to redemption may materially adversely affect your return on any debt securities that we may issue.

If such debt securities are redeemable at our option, we may choose to redeem such debt securities at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on the debt securities. In addition, if such debt securities are subject to mandatory redemption, we may be required to redeem the debt securities also at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In this circumstance, an investor may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as your debt securities being redeemed.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Our credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed above on the market value of or trading market for any publicly issued debt securities.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporated by reference, contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “plans,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “targets,” “projects,” “outlook,” “potential,” “predicts” and variations of these words and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss our plans, strategies, prospects and expectations concerning our business, operating results, financial condition and other similar matters. We believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors. Our forward-looking statements include information in this prospectus regarding general domestic and global economic conditions, our future financing plans, our ability to operate as a BDC and the expected performance of, and the yield on, our portfolio companies. In particular, there are forward-looking statements under “Summary—TCG BDC, Inc.” There may be events in the future, however, that we are not able to predict accurately or control. The factors listed under “Risk Factors,” as well as any cautionary language in this prospectus and “Risk Factors,” “Business,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our 2020 Annual Report, and those discussed in other documents we file with the SEC and the documents incorporated by reference herein, provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Before you invest in our securities, you should be aware that the occurrence of the events described in these risk factors and elsewhere in this prospectus could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial position. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which we make it. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Under Sections 27A(b)(2) of the Securities Act and Section 21E(b)(2) of the Exchange Act, the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 do not apply to statements made in connection with any offering of securities pursuant to this prospectus or in a beneficial ownership report we file under the Exchange Act.

In addition to factors identified elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, the following factors are among those that may cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements:

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Our actual results and condition could differ materially from those implied or expressed in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in “Risk Factors,” elsewhere in this prospectus and in Part I, Item 1A of our 2020 Annual Report and in the other documents we file with the SEC.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities pursuant to this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things: (i) investing in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment objective and (ii) repaying or repurchasing outstanding indebtedness, which may include indebtedness under the Credit Facility, and, if specified in the prospectus supplement, we may use such net proceeds for acquisitions.

The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering may more fully identify the use of the proceeds from such offering.

We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of securities pursuant to this prospectus and its related prospectus supplement will be used for the above purposes within three months of any such offering, depending on the availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent with our investment objective. We cannot assure you that we will achieve our targeted investment pace.

Proceeds not immediately used for new investments or the temporary repayment of debt will be invested primarily in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high quality short-term investments. These securities may earn lower yields than the types of investments we would typically make in accordance with our investment objective and, accordingly, may result in lower dividends, if any, during such period.

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CGBD.” Our common stock has historically traded at prices both above and below our NAV per share. It is not possible to predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below NAV. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Offerings Pursuant to this Prospectus—Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount from NAV and may do so again, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital.”

The following table sets forth, for our two most recent fiscal years and our most recently completed fiscal quarter, the NAV per share of our common stock, the range of high and low closing sales prices of our common stock, the closing sales price as a premium (discount) to NAV and the dividends or distributions declared by us. On April 27, 2021, the last reported closing sales price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $13.83 per share, which represented a discount of approximately 10% to the NAV per share reported by us as of December 31, 2020

To the extent that we have taxable income available, we intend to distribute quarterly dividends to our stockholders. The amount of our dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board. Any dividends to our stockholders will be declared out of assets legally available for distribution. We anticipate that our distributions will generally be paid from taxable earnings, including interest and capital gains generated by our investment portfolio, and any other income, including any other fees (other than fees for providing managerial assistance), such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees, that we receive from portfolio companies. However, if we do not generate sufficient taxable earnings during a year, all or part of a distribution may constitute a return of capital. The specific tax characteristics of our dividends and other distributions will be reported to stockholders after the end of each calendar year. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for further information regarding the tax treatment of our distributions and the tax consequences of our retention of net capital gains.

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The following table summarizes the Company’s dividends declared during the two most recent fiscal years and the current fiscal year to date:

We have elected to be treated, and intend to continue to qualify annually, as a RIC. To maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must, among other things, fulfill the Annual Distribution Requirement, the 90% Gross Income Test and the Diversification Tests (each defined term, defined and more fully explained below in “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company”). In order to avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we intend to distribute during each calendar year an amount in accordance with the Excise Tax Distribution Requirements, as defined and discussed further below in “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.”

In addition, although we currently intend to distribute realized net capital gains (i.e., net long term capital gains in excess of short term capital losses), if any, at least annually, we may in the future decide to retain such capital gains for investment, pay U.S. federal income tax on such amounts at regular corporate tax rates, and elect to treat such gains as deemed distributions to stockholders. As a BDC, we are generally required to meet a minimum “asset coverage” ratio after each issuance of senior securities. “Asset coverage” generally refers to a company’s total assets, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by “senior securities,” as defined in the Investment Company Act, divided by total senior securities representing indebtedness and, if applicable, preferred stock. “Senior securities” for this purpose includes borrowings from banks or other lenders, debt securities and preferred stock. On April 9, 2018 and June 6, 2018, our Board, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the Investment Company Act), and our stockholders, respectively, approved the application to us of the 150% minimum asset coverage ratio set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the Investment Company Act. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to us was reduced from 200% to 150%, effective as of June 7, 2018, the first day after our 2018 annual meeting of stockholders. As of December 31, 2020, our asset coverage calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act was 182.09%. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, to the extent that we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the Investment Company Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Offerings Pursuant to this Prospectus—If the current period of capital market disruption and instability continues for an extended period of time, there is a risk that our stockholders may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and a portion of our distributions to you may be a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes.”

Unless you elect to receive your distributions in cash, we intend to make distributions in additional shares of our common stock under our dividend reinvestment plan. Stockholders who “opt out” of our dividend reinvestment plan receive cash distributions.

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See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the Investment Company Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings.

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The information in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our 2020 Annual Report is incorporated herein by reference.

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SENIOR SECURITIES

Information about our senior securities is shown in the following table as of the end of each fiscal year ended December 31 since we commenced operations on May 2, 2013. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, on the senior securities table as of December 31, 2020 is attached as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

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BUSINESS

The information in “Business” in Part I, Item 1, “Properties” in Part I, Item 2 and “Legal Proceedings” in Part I, Item 3 of our 2020 Annual Report is incorporated herein by reference.

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PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

The table set forth below contains certain information as of December 31, 2020 for each portfolio company in which we had an investment. Other than these investments, our only formal relationships with our portfolio companies are the managerial assistance that we may provide upon request and any board observer or participation rights we may receive in connection with our investment. In general, under the Investment Company Act, we would be presumed to “control” a portfolio company if we owned more than 25% of its voting securities and would be an “affiliate” of a portfolio company if we owned more than 5% of its outstanding voting securities. As a result, for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we are an affiliate of, and are presumed to control, Credit Fund, Credit Fund II and SolAero Technologies Corp. For purposes of the Investment Company Act, we are also an affiliate of, but are not presumed to control, Direct Travel, Inc.

Each of our investments in Credit Fund and Credit Fund II represents greater than 5% of our total assets as of December 31, 2020. For additional information on Credit Fund, see “Middle Market Credit Fund, LLC” in Part II, Item 7 of our 2020 Annual Report and in Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements in our 2020 Annual Report, which are incorporated herein by reference. For additional information on Credit Fund II, see “Middle Markets Credit Fund II, LLC” in Part II, Item 7 of our 2020 Annual Report and in Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements in our 2020 Annual Report, which are incorporated herein by reference.

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