Top-Rated Charities
Groups included on the CharityWatch Top-Rated list generally spend 75% or more of their budgets on programs, spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support, do not hold excessive assets in reserve, have met CharityWatch's governance benchmarks, and receive "open-book" status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to CharityWatch. Please see the Our Process page of the website for more information on the rating criteria and methodology that CharityWatch adheres to.
Because many factors determine a worthy charity, we at CharityWatch suggest that you use the ratings on this page not as the sole determining factor in your decision, but rather as an aid.
This list is subject to change depending on the information CharityWatch receives concerning charitable organizations.
African-American Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | A- |
National Urban League (National Office) | A- |
AIDS Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation | A |
Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) | A- |
American Indian Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
American Indian College Fund | B+ |
Native American Rights Fund | A- |
Animal & Animal Protection Charities
Asia & Asian-American Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Asia Foundation | A |
Asia Society | B+ |
Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund | A- |
Blind & Visually Impaired Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind | A |
Helen Keller International | A |
National Federation of the Blind | A- |
Prevent Blindness | A- |
Cancer Charities
Child Protection Charities
Child Sponsorship Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
ChildFund International | A- |
Children Incorporated | A |
Children International | A |
Compassion International | A |
Pearl S. Buck International | A |
Save the Children | A- |
Unbound | A+ |
World Vision | A- |
Civil Rights & Advocacy Charities
Consumer Protection & Legal Aid Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Food and Water Watch | A |
Government Accountability Project (GAP) | A- |
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine | B+ |
Project on Government Oversight (POGO) | A- |
Crime & Fire Prevention Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) | A- |
Disabled Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation | A- |
Goodwill Industries International (National Office) | A |
Drug & Alcohol Abuse Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Drug Policy Alliance | B+ |
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids | A |
Environment Charities
Gun Control (pro/con) Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|
Health - General Charities
Hispanic Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Hispanic Federation | A |
Hispanic Scholarship Fund | A+ |
LatinoJustice PRLDEF | A |
Homelessness & Housing Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC) | A |
Coalition for the Homeless | A- |
National Alliance to End Homelessness | A+ |
Human Rights Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Committee to Protect Journalists | A- |
Human Rights First | A |
Human Rights Watch | B+ |
Human Services Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
American Red Cross | A- |
Farm Aid | A |
The Y (National Office) | A |
Hunger Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Action Against Hunger-USA | A |
City Harvest | B+ |
Feed My Starving Children | A |
Feeding America | B+ |
Food Bank For New York City | A- |
The Hunger Project | A |
International Relief & Development Charities
Jewish & Israel Charities
LGBTQ Rights & Advocacy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice | A |
Literacy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
ProLiteracy Worldwide | B+ |
Reach Out and Read, Inc. | B+ |
Mental Health & Disabilities Charities
Peace & International Relations Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Clinton Foundation | A- |
International Peace Institute | A |
Physicians for Social Responsibility (National Office) | A- |
Ploughshares Fund | A- |
Public Policy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Common Cause Education Fund | A |
FAIR | A |
Reproductive Health, Family Planning, & Abortion Charities
Senior Citizens Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
National Council on Aging | A+ |
Terminally or Chronically Ill Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Compassion & Choices | B+ |
Death with Dignity National Center | A- |
Give Kids the World | B+ |
Starlight Children's Foundation (National Office) | A- |
Sunshine Foundation (National Office) | B+ |
Veterans & Military Charities
Women's Rights Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Global Fund for Women | A- |
National Women's Law Center | A- |
Youth Development Charities
Youth-Residential Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
CEDARS | A |
Covenant House & Affiliates | A- |
African-American Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | A- |
National Urban League (National Office) | A- |
AIDS Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation | A |
Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) | A- |
American Indian Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
American Indian College Fund | B+ |
Native American Rights Fund | A- |
Animal & Animal Protection Charities
Asia & Asian-American Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Asia Foundation | A |
Asia Society | B+ |
Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund | A- |
Blind & Visually Impaired Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind | A |
Helen Keller International | A |
National Federation of the Blind | A- |
Prevent Blindness | A- |
Cancer Charities
Child Protection Charities
Child Sponsorship Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
ChildFund International | A- |
Children Incorporated | A |
Children International | A |
Compassion International | A |
Pearl S. Buck International | A |
Save the Children | A- |
Unbound | A+ |
World Vision | A- |
Civil Rights & Advocacy Charities
Consumer Protection & Legal Aid Charities
Crime & Fire Prevention Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) | A- |
Disabled Charities
Drug & Alcohol Abuse Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Drug Policy Alliance | B+ |
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids | A |
Environment Charities
Gun Control (pro/con) Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|
Health - General Charities
Hispanic Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Hispanic Federation | A |
Hispanic Scholarship Fund | A+ |
LatinoJustice PRLDEF | A |
Homelessness & Housing Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC) | A |
Coalition for the Homeless | A- |
National Alliance to End Homelessness | A+ |
Human Rights Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Committee to Protect Journalists | A- |
Human Rights First | A |
Human Rights Watch | B+ |
Human Services Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
American Red Cross | A- |
Farm Aid | A |
The Y (National Office) | A |
Hunger Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Action Against Hunger-USA | A |
City Harvest | B+ |
Feed My Starving Children | A |
Feeding America | B+ |
Food Bank For New York City | A- |
The Hunger Project | A |
International Relief & Development Charities
Jewish & Israel Charities
LGBTQ Rights & Advocacy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice | A |
Literacy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
ProLiteracy Worldwide | B+ |
Reach Out and Read, Inc. | B+ |
Mental Health & Disabilities Charities
Peace & International Relations Charities
Public Policy Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Common Cause Education Fund | A |
FAIR | A |
Reproductive Health, Family Planning, & Abortion Charities
Senior Citizens Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
National Council on Aging | A+ |
Terminally or Chronically Ill Charities
Veterans & Military Charities
Women's Health Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|
Women's Rights Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
Global Fund for Women | A- |
National Women's Law Center | A- |
Youth Development Charities
Youth-Residential Charities
Charity | Rating |
---|---|
CEDARS | A |
Covenant House & Affiliates | A- |