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.”

“The pandemic continued to impact the regular operations and disrupt the foundation's ability to conduct in-person programs throughout fy21. In response to the impact of the pandemic, the foundation continued to provide virtual learning opportunities, including programs for students, professional development for educators, and classroom resources, to extend its mission and meet the needs of schools. After suspending in-person programs for 15 months due to impact of the pandemic, close up welcomed the first students and teachers back to washington, d.c. For in-person programs in may 2021. We continue to monitor the guidance of the cdc and local jurisdictions and look forward to increased participation on in-person programs and scaling up operations in the new fiscal year.”