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.

All Top Charities Addiction & Recovery Animals Asian American Black American Blind & Low Vision Cancer Child Protection & Sponsorship Civil Rights & Social Justice Consumer Protection & Legal Aid Environment & Climate Change Gun Control / Gun Rights Health - General Hispanic & Latin American Housing & Housing Equity Human Rights Human Services & Domestic Aid Hunger & Food Policy International Relief & Development Jewish & Israel LGBTQ+ Literacy & Education Mental Health Native American Older Adults Peace & International Relations Police & Firefighters Public Policy Reproductive Health Terminally or Chronically Ill Veterans & Military Women’s Issues & Advocacy Youth

Addiction & Recovery Charities

Charity	Rating

Animals Charities

Charity	Rating
Best Friends Animal Society	B+
Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute	A-
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International	A
Friends of Animals	A+
Humane Farming Association	A-
Humane League	B+
Jane Goodall Institute	B+
Marine Mammal Center	A-
Mercy For Animals	B+
Morris Animal Foundation	B+
PetSmart Charities	A+
RedRover	B+
Wildlife Conservation Society	A

Asian American Charities

Charity	Rating
Asia Foundation	A
Asia Society	B+

Black American Charities

Charity	Rating
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund	B+

Blind & Low Vision Charities

Charity	Rating
Foundation Fighting Blindness	B+
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind	A
Helen Keller International	A
Learning Ally	B+
National Federation of the Blind	A
Prevent Blindness	B+

Cancer Charities

Charity	Rating
Breast Cancer Research Foundation	A
Cancer Research Institute	A-
CancerCare	A+
CureSearch for Children's Cancer	B+
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	A
Entertainment Industry Foundation / Stand Up To Cancer	A
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society	A-
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	B+
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation	A
National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund	A
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance	A-
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network	A
Prevent Cancer Foundation	A-
Prostate Cancer Foundation	A

Child Protection & Sponsorship Charities

Charity	Rating
Child Find of America	A
ChildFund International	A-
Children Incorporated	A
Children International	A-
Children's Defense Fund	A
Children's Health Fund	A-
Compassion International	A
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption	A
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation	A-
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children	A-
Pearl S. Buck International	A
Ronald McDonald House Charities (National Office)	A
Save the Children	A-
Unbound	A+
World Vision	A

Civil Rights & Social Justice Charities

Charity	Rating
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)	A
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation	A
Center for Community Change	A
Center for Community Change Action	A+
Center for Constitutional Rights	A-
Fortune Society	A-
Freedom From Religion Foundation	A+
Interfaith Alliance Foundation	B+
Sikh Coalition	A
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)	A-

Consumer Protection & Legal Aid Charities

Charity	Rating
Action on Smoking and Health	B+
Government Accountability Project (GAP)	A
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine	B+
Project on Government Oversight (POGO)	A
Public Citizen Foundation	A-

Environment & Climate Change Charities

Charity	Rating
350.org	A
African Wildlife Foundation	B+
Alaska Conservation Foundation	B+
Amazon Conservation Team	A
American Bird Conservancy	A-
American Forests	A-
Center for Biological Diversity	A
Conservation Fund	A+
Conservation International Foundation	A
Ducks Unlimited	A-
Earth Island Institute	A
Earthjustice	A-
Earthworks	A-
Environmental Defense Action Fund	A
Environmental Defense Fund	B+
Environmental Working Group	A
Friends of the Earth	B+
Green America	A
Izaak Walton League of America (National Office)	B+
National Audubon Society	B+
National Forest Foundation	A
National Park Trust	A
National Wildlife Federation	A
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)	A-
Nature Conservancy	B+
Oceana	A-
Rainforest Action Network	A-
Rainforest Alliance	A-
Save the Redwoods League	A
Sierra Club Foundation	A
Trout Unlimited (National Office)	A
Trust for Public Land	A-
Union of Concerned Scientists	A
Water.org	B+
Waterkeeper Alliance	A+
WildAid	A
World Resources Institute	A+
Yosemite Conservancy	B+

Gun Control / Gun Rights Charities

Charity	Rating

Health - General Charities

Charity	Rating
American Brain Tumor Association	A-
American Diabetes Association	B+
American Kidney Fund	A+
American Liver Foundation	B+
American Lung Association	A-
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation	A-
City of Hope & Affiliates	A-
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation	A-
Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation	A
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation	A
Epilepsy Foundation	B+
Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)	B+
Hearing Health Foundation	A
Huntington's Disease Society of America	A
JDRF International	A-
Lupus Research Alliance	A
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research	A+
MiracleFeet	A-
National Hemophilia Foundation (National Office)	A-
National Jewish Health	B+
National Kidney Foundation	A
National Multiple Sclerosis Society	B+
National Psoriasis Foundation	B+
Parkinson's Foundation	A
Salk Institute for Biological Studies	A

Hispanic & Latin American Charities

Charity	Rating
Hispanic Federation	A
Hispanic Scholarship Fund	A+
LatinoJustice PRLDEF	A

Housing & Housing Equity Charities

Charity	Rating
Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC)	A
Coalition for the Homeless	A

Human Rights Charities

Charity	Rating
Center for Victims of Torture	B+
Committee to Protect Journalists	B+
Human Rights First	A
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)	A

Human Services & Domestic Aid Charities

Charity	Rating
American Red Cross	A-
Farm Aid	B+
Good360	A-
Goodwill Industries International (National Office)	A
The Y (National Office)	A

Hunger & Food Policy Charities

Charity	Rating
Action Against Hunger-USA	A
Bread for the World Institute	A
City Harvest	A-
Feed My Starving Children	A
Feeding America	B+
Food Bank For New York City	A-
Food for the Hungry	B+
The Hunger Project	A-

International Relief & Development Charities

Charity	Rating
Alight	A
All Hands and Hearts	A+
American Friends Service Committee	A-
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)	A
Americares	A-
Brother's Brother Foundation	B+
CARE USA	A
Catholic Medical Mission Board	B+
Catholic Relief Services	A+
Central Asia Institute	A-
charity: water	B+
Church World Service (CWS)	A-
Comic Relief	A
Direct Relief & Direct Relief Foundation	A+
Doctors Without Borders USA	A
Engineers Without Borders - USA	A
Episcopal Relief & Development	A
FINCA International	A
Fistula Foundation	A
GiveDirectly	A+
Global Communities	A
Grameen Foundation USA	B+
HealthRight International	A
HIAS	A
International Medical Corps	A
International Rescue Committee	A
Lutheran World Relief & IMA World Health	A
MAP International	A
Medical Teams International	A-
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.	A-
Mercy Corps	A
Muslim Aid USA	A
New Incentives	A
One Acre Fund	A
Operation USA	A-
Opportunity International	A-
Oxfam-America	B+
Partners In Health	A+
Project HOPE	B+
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International	A+
Samaritan's Purse	A-
Sudan Relief Fund	B+
Team Rubicon	A
TechnoServe	A
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)	A+
United States Fund for UNICEF	A
World Central Kitchen	A+
World Neighbors	A
Zakat Foundation of America	A+

Jewish & Israel Charities

Charity	Rating
American Jewish Committee (AJC)	B+
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee	A+
American Jewish World Service	A-
Anti-Defamation League & Foundation	A-
Bend the Arc - A Jewish Partnership for Justice	A
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)	A-
Hadassah	A+
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger	A
New Israel Fund	A
Simon Wiesenthal Center	B+

LGBTQ+ Charities

Charity	Rating
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice	A
GLAAD	A-
Trevor Project	A-

Literacy & Education Charities

Charity	Rating
ProLiteracy Worldwide	B+
Reach Out and Read, Inc.	B+

Mental Health Charities

Charity	Rating
Alzheimer's Association	B+
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention	A
Arc of the United States (National Office)	A-
Autism Society of America (National Office) & Foundation	A-
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation	A
Mental Health America (MHA)	A
NAMI	A

Native American Charities

Charity	Rating

Older Adults Charities

Charity	Rating
National Council on Aging (NCOA)	A

Peace & International Relations Charities

Charity	Rating
AFS-USA	A-
Clinton Foundation	B+
International Peace Institute	B+

Police & Firefighters Charities

Charity	Rating
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS)	A+
Tunnel to Towers Foundation	A+

Public Policy Charities

Charity	Rating
American Battlefield Trust	A
Common Cause Education Fund	A
FAIR	A-

Reproductive Health Charities

Charity	Rating
Center for Reproductive Rights	B+
EngenderHealth	A
Fòs Feminista	A
Guttmacher Institute	A-
NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation (National Office)	A
PAI	A
Pathfinder International	A
PCI-Media Impact	A
Population Council	A
Population Services International	A+

Terminally or Chronically Ill Charities

Charity	Rating
Compassion & Choices	A-
Death with Dignity National Center	A-
Starlight Children's Foundation (National Office)	B+
Sunshine Foundation (National Office)	A

Veterans & Military Charities

Charity	Rating
Armed Services YMCA of the USA	A-
Bob Woodruff Foundation	A-
Fisher House Foundation	A+
Folds of Honor Foundation	A+
Gary Sinise Foundation	A
Homes For Our Troops	A
Hope For The Warriors	A
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund	A+
Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America	A-
K9s For Warriors	B+
Mission Continues	A-
National Military Family Association	A
Semper Fi & America's Fund	A+
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)	A
Wounded Warriors Family Support	A

Women’s Issues & Advocacy Charities

Charity	Rating
Global Fund for Women	A
Legal Momentum	A-
National Women's Law Center	A
Women for Women International	A-

Youth Charities

Charity	Rating
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (National Office)	A-
CEDARS	A
Covenant House & Affiliates	A-
DonorsChoose.org	A+
Girls Incorporated (National Office)	A
Junior Achievement USA (National Office)	A-
National 4-H Council	A
Scholarship America	A+
SOS Children's Villages - USA	A