Close Up Foundation

Mission Statement

Close Up informs, inspires, and empowers young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. We believe that a strong democracy requires active and informed participation by all citizens; therefore we seek to reach participants of every race, creed, geographical community, socio-economic level, and academic standing. Close Up welcomes participation on its programs without regard to gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or disability. To carry out our mission, we partner with educators, schools, and youth organizations throughout the country to help young people develop the skills and attitudes to become informed and engaged citizens. Since 1971, nearly 800,000 participants have participated in Close Up programs.