TACF Rated 4-Stars!
More about TACF's 4 Star Rating
Charity Navigator, a non-profit watchdog group in Mahwah, N.J., has rated The American Chestnut Foundation four stars, its highest evaluation of not-for-profit corporations accepting financial contributions from supporters.
Using information from federal tax forms, Charity Navigator independently evaluates over 3,600 of America's largest charities, to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace.
Charity Navigator rates the financial health of 501(c)3's based on their performance in two areas -- organizational efficiency and organizational capacity, or how well they are prepared to deal with the future. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
Charities are ranked in terms of how they perform in a number of categories, including fund-raising efficiency, fund-raising expenses, program expenses and administrative expenses. Program expenses -- how much is actually spent on the mission -- is one of the most important factors, said Trent Stamp, Executive Director of Charity Navigator, in an interview published in The Florida Times-Union
"We distill them and go through all the data," he said. "We try to line up apples to apples, oranges to oranges -- the food banks together, the museums, the environmental groups... Program expenses is generally the first one donors look at," Stamp said. "You're looking for an organization that can spend at least 75 percent, if not 85 percent, on their programs."
Charity Navigator determined that TACF spends 79.1 percent of its revenues on program expenses.