JNF Receives Charity Navigator's Top Rating for Fourth Consecutive Year

Contact: Sarit Schonbrun • JNF Communications Manager • 212-879-9305 ext. 222 • sschonbrun@jnf.org

October 2, 2009—New York, NY—Charity Navigator, America’s leading independent charity evaluator, has bestowed its fourth consecutive 4-star rating on Jewish National Fund (JNF) for the organization’s sound fiscal management.

Only 7% of the more than 5,400 charities rated have received this coveted evaluation four years in a row.   

The rating indicates “that Jewish National Fund, United States consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America,” wrote Charity Navigator’s president and CEO Ken Berger in a letter to JNF. “This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Jewish National Fund, United States from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

JNF has also been rated a top charity by the American Institute of Philanthropy and meets the 20 rigorous standards of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the transparency standards of Tzedakah, Inc.

“JNF works hard to efficiently manage the contributions that are entrusted to us and meet the high standards our donors deserve,” said Mitchel Rosenzweig, JNF’s chief financial officer. “We are gratified to once again be recognized by a leader in the charity watchdog field.”

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Jewish National Fund (JNF) began in 1901 collecting coins in blue boxes to purchase land and return the Jewish people to their homeland. In over 107 years, JNF has evolved into a global environmental leader and become the central address for partnering with the land and people of Israel. JNF has planted 240 million trees; built over 1,000 parks and recreational areas; constructed security roads; educated students around the world about Israel; created new communities so that Jews from around the world would have a place to call home; discovered new means of growing plants under arid conditions, bringing green to the desert; and built over 200 reservoirs and water recycling centers, increasing Israel’s water supply by 10%. Today, JNF is supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers by bringing life to the Negev Desert, Israel’s last frontier. 

A United Nations NGO, JNF sponsors international conferences on desertification, shares afforestation techniques, and funds research on arid land management. JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers. For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.