November 14, 2016
Only four percent of nonprofits receive top rating six years running
Only four percent of nonprofits receive top rating six years running
LA JOLLA—For the sixth consecutive year, the Salk Institute’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency has earned a coveted four-star (out of four stars) rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity and nonprofit evaluator. Receiving the highest ranking for six straight years puts Salk in a rare group of nonprofits—only four percent of nonprofits evaluated achieve that status, indicating that the Salk Institute outperforms most other charities in America in this regard.
“The Salk Institute’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “This adds the Salk Institute to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support the Salk Institute.”
With the nonprofit sector continuing to expand and well over 1.5 million American charities to choose from, savvy donors are seeking quantifiable results from the charities they support. Charity Navigator’s data-driven analysis of the charitable sector has been celebrated by Forbes, Business Week and others.
“Private philanthropy is critical to advancing the life-changing science we do here,” says Salk Institute President Elizabeth Blackburn. “This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator for a sixth year shows that we have truly earned our donors’ trust.”
Since 2002, Charity Navigator has used objective analysis to award only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating: only a quarter of charities rated receive this distinction. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability and Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders.
“It’s important our donors know that we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish our mission of furthering human health and wellbeing,” says Salk Institute’s Vice President of External Relations Rebecca Newman. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our supporters our good governance and financial accountability.”
Since its inception, the Salk Institute has strived to make bold and ambitious endeavors in pursuing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. From cancer and diabetes to Alzheimer’s and autism, Salk scientists are making biomedical advances that will help everyone live longer, healthier lives. And for a planet stressed by drought and climate change, Salk researchers are discovering how to make plants—especially food crops—live longer, healthier lives too. Through the generosity of philanthropy, the Institute is able to continue to support its unique collaborative infrastructure, cutting-edge technologies and world-class talents.
About Charity Navigator:
Charity Navigator is the largest, independent, expert charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America’s charitable givers. Charity Navigator can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.
About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
Every cure has a starting point. The Salk Institute embodies Jonas Salk’s mission to dare to make dreams into reality. Its internationally renowned and award-winning scientists explore the very foundations of life, seeking new understandings in neuroscience, genetics, immunology and more. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature and fearless in the face of any challenge. Be it cancer or Alzheimer’s, aging or diabetes, Salk is where cures begin. Learn more at: salk.edu.
Office of Communications
Tel: (858) 453-4100
press@salk.edu
