ALLSPRING UTILITIES & HIGH INCOME FUND

The Board intends to bring before the Meeting the matter set forth in the accompanying notice. Holders of common shares (“Shares”) of the Fund (“Shareholders”) are being asked to vote for the election of Mr. Isaiah Harris, Jr., Ms. Cindy Miller, and Ms. Olivia Mitchell as Trustees. Each nominee currently serves as a Trustee of the Fund and has served in that capacity continuously since originally elected or appointed. You can vote by returning your properly executed proxy card in the envelope provided or you may vote by telephone or Internet by following the instructions at the end of this proxy statement. When you complete and sign your proxy card, the proxies named will vote on your behalf at the Meeting (or any adjournments thereof) exactly as you have indicated. If you return a signed proxy card but no choice is specified, your Shares will be voted FOR the election of each of the nominees named in the enclosed proxy card. If any other matters are properly presented at the Meeting for action, the persons named as proxies will vote in accordance with the views of management of the Fund. Shareholders, including a broker who may hold Shares on your behalf, may revoke a proxy prior to the Meeting by giving timely written notice of such revocation to the Fund at the address above, by submitting a subsequent proxy timely and in accordance with the methods prescribed by this proxy statement, or by attending the Meeting in person or telephonically and voting at that time.

The Fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) provides that the holders of thirty-three and one-third percent (33 1/3%) of the Fund’s Shares issued and outstanding, entitled to vote in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting. The affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast in person or by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote is required for the election of Trustees. A “plurality” vote means that the nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast (even if they receive less than a majority) will be elected as Trustees.

Abstentions, broker non-votes (i.e., Shares for which a broker or nominee returns a proxy but as to which (i) instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or other persons entitled to vote and (ii) the broker or nominee does not have discretionary voting power on a particular matter), and votes that are withheld will count for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present. Because an affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast is required to elect each of the nominees, withheld votes and broker non-votes, if any, will not have an effect on the election of the nominees. Failure of a quorum to be present at the Meeting may necessitate adjournment. The Meeting may also be adjourned by the chair of the Meeting in his or her discretion. Notice of any adjourned meeting need not be given if the time and place by which shareholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken.

The Fund will bear the costs typically associated with the election of Trustees. Solicitation may be undertaken by e-mail, mail, telephone, facsimile and personal contact. The Fund has engaged Computershare Fund Services to solicit proxies from brokers, banks, other institutional holders and individual Shareholders for a fee of approximately $4,006. This fee will be borne by the Fund.