Strong financial health as well as commitment to accountability and transparency have earned CEDARS a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.

Since 2002, using objective 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 operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methodology for rating each charity’s financial health. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of their 4-star charities.

“CEDARS exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds CEDARS to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support CEDARS.”

CEDARS has been a vital part of the community for 70 years. What started as a grassroots effort to provide safe refuge to children and youth who had no other safe place to spend the night has grown into a dynamic and dedicated team of over 200 professionals serving 2,750 kids and families each year.

“The people of this community have long trusted the work of CEDARS,” says Jim Blue, CEDARS President. “This new 4-star rating validates the trust they have placed in us to carry out this important work of caring for the most vulnerable children in our community.”