Close Up Foundation

“The 990 was prepared by the outside accountants and reviewed by the general counsel, cfo and ceo. It was then forwarded to the finance committee for further review. The final draft was sent to the full board prior to filing with the irs.”

“Close up foundation's conflict of interest policy is outlined in detail by the foundation's bylaws and included in the employee handbook. According to its policy, each director and officer is required to annually disclose any potential conflicts and sign the affirmation of duty to disclose. Upon the identification of a conflict of interest, the board addresses each situation based on its merits as it arises.”

“As per the written employment contract, dated 6/20/05 and most recently renewed 6/30/17, the compensation of the executive officer is prescribed by the board of directors. The board uses a study of officer compensation to evaluate the appropriate compensation level for the executive director. Both the study and board determination are reviewed by the general counsel. The last compensation review for the executive director took place in june 2017. The 2017 comparative compensation survey is still very relevant as the compensation for the positions identified has not significantly changed since then. The officer study referred to above was also used to evaluate compensation for the entire senior staff. The board decisions regarding the compensation for the executive director and the senior staff were documented.”

“The organization makes its bylaws, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements, including form 990, available to the public upon request.”

“On march 12, 2020, the close up foundation suspended in-person programs due to the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly impacted its operations, and transitioned to virtual civic education opportunities for the remainder of fiscal year 2020. Due to the impact of the pandemic, the disruption to in-person programs impacted approximately 12,000 students and teachers that were scheduled to participate in in-person programs. Schools affected by the pandemic were given options to cancel or reschedule for a date in the future. Close up's transition to virtual civic education programs includes opportunities for student programs, classroom resources, and professional development for teachers to support schools engaged in distance learning. Close up remains committed to providing in-person programs consistent with its tradition. We continue to monitor the guidance of the cdc and local jurisdictions and look forward to the return to in-person programs as soon as it is safe to do so. Additionally, close up intends to maintain its commitment to virtual programs and distance learning to extend its mission to more students and teachers.”

“This return is being amended to add a schedule o narrative describing coronavirus impact on programming.”