EX-99.D ADVSR CONTR 2 f37670d1.htm (D) INVESTMENT ADVISORY CONTRACT CLEARBRIDGE (d) Investment Advisory Contract ClearBridge

4.Compensation of Advisor. For services to be provided by the Advisor pursuant to this Agreement, the Fund will pay to the Advisor, and the Advisor agrees to accept as full compensation therefor, an investment advisory fee consisting of a base fee plus a performance adjustment at the rates specified in Schedule A to this Agreement, payable quarterly in arrears.

5.Reports. The Fund and the Advisor agree to furnish to each other current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request, including, but not limited to, information about changes in investment officers of the Advisor who are responsible for managing the ClearBridge Portfolio.

6.Compliance. The Advisor agrees to comply with all Applicable Law and all policies, procedures or reporting requirements that the Board of Trustees reasonably adopts and communicates to

the Advisor in writing, including, without limitation, any such policies, procedures, or reporting

-1(e)(1) under the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, and (ii) any and all other laws, rules, and regulations, whether foreign or domestic, in each case applicable at any time and from time to time to the investment management operations of the Advisor in relation to the ClearBridge Portfolio.

7.Status of Advisor. The services of the Advisor to the Fund are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Advisor will be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Fund are not impaired thereby. The Advisor will be deemed to be an independent contractor and will, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund or the Trust.

8.Liability of Advisor. No provision of this Agreement will be deemed to protect the Advisor against any liability to the Fund or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.

9.Limitations on Consultations. The Advisor is prohibited from consulting with other advisors of the Fund, except Vanguard, concerning transactions for the Fund in securities or other assets.

10.Duration; Termination; Notices; Amendment. This Agreement will become effective on the date hereof and will continue in effect for a period of two years thereafter, and shall continue in effect for successive twelve-month periods thereafter, only so long as each such continuance specifically is approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to such Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast at a meeting called for the purpose

of voting on such approval; such meeting shall be in person as required under Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act unless the Board of Trustees otherwise complies with the terms of an order or other guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission granting an exemption from the in-person meeting -Per In addition, the question of continuance of the Agreement may be presented to the shareholders of the Fund; in such event, such continuance will be effected only if approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, (i) this Agreement may at any time be terminated without payment of any penalty either by vote of the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of t Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, and (iii) this Agreement may be this Agreement will be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party as follows:

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If to the Fund, at:

Vanguard Explorer Fund

400 Devon Park Drive

Wayne, PA 19087

Attention: Kaitlyn Caughlin, V11

Telephone: 610-669-4603

Facsimile: 610-503-5855

If to the Advisor, at:

ClearBridge Investments, LLC 620 8th Avenue

New York, New York 10018

Attention: Barbara Brooke Manning, Managing Director, General Counsel, & CCO

Telephone: 212-805-2076

Facsimile: 877-638-5508

This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, but the consent of the Trust must be approved (i) by a majority of those members of the Board of Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast in person (or as otherwise permitted under the terms of an In-Person Exemptive Order) at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such amendment, and (ii) to the extent required by the 1940 Act, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

As u

Section 2(a)(19) and Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act.

11.Severability. If any provision of this Agreement will be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule, or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement will not be affected thereby.

12.Confidentiality. The Advisor shall keep confidential any and all information obtained in connection with the services rendered hereunder and relating directly or indirectly to the Fund, the Trust, or Vanguard and shall not disclose any such information to any person other than the Trust, the Board of Trustees, Vanguard, and any director, officer, or employee of the Trust or Vanguard, except (i) with the prior written consent of the Trust, (ii) as required by law, regulation, court order or the rules or regulations of any self-regulatory organization, governmental body, or official having jurisdiction over the Advisor, or (iii) for information that is publicly available other than due to disclosure by the Advisor or its affiliates or becomes known to the Advisor from a source other than the Trust, the Board of Trustees, or Vanguard.

13.Proxy Policy. The Advisor shall vote proxies solicited by or with respect to the issuers

voting policies and procedures in a manner that complies with applicable law and regulations, and any additional operating policies or procedures that the Fund communicates to the Advisor in writing.

14.Governing Law. All questions concerning the validity, meaning, and effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (without giving effect to the conflict-of-law principles thereof) of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts made and to be performed in that state.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Investment Advisory Agreement to be executed as of the date first set forth herein.

ClearBridge Investments, LLC

Vanguard Explorer Fund

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Signature

Signature

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Print Name

Print Name

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