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WHOI Earns 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator


July 7, 2015

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the 13th time that WHOI has earned this top distinction in the last 14 years.

Since 2002, using objective, data-driven analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. 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 & Transparency” metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities have “best practices” that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

“Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Tim Gamory, COO of Charity Navigator. “Out of the thousands of nonprofits Charity Navigator evaluates, only one out of four earns 4 stars — a rating that demands rigor, responsibility and commitment to openness. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

“It’s important our donors know that we are using their generous funding wisely to advance ocean science and engineering at WHOI,” said WHOI Interim Chief Development Officer, Rear Admiral Richard F. Pittenger, USN (Ret.). “This 4-star rating demonstrates that we are dedicated to satisfying our financial and managerial responsibilities in service to our mission.”

WHOI’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org.  More-detailed information about WHOI’s rating is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.

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About Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest 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 more than 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.

About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.