ASU Foundation attains highest rating from Charity Navigator

The ASU Foundation for A New American University attained Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for the ninth consecutive year because it continuously demonstrates strong financial health and a commitment to transparency and accountability.

“We take the Charity Navigator four-star rating seriously and work hard to sustain this honor,” said Mark Antonucci, ASU Foundation vice president and chief of staff. “The ASU Foundation’s mission is to raise and manage private contributions to support the success of Arizona State University, and we can only fulfill that mission when we are financially sound and accountable to our donors.”

The four-star rating is the highest a charity can achieve and is given to organizations that exceed industry standards and outperform most charities in its cause. Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit charity evaluator, assesses more than 1.6 million charitable organizations’ financial health, accountability and transparency to guide donation decisions, according to its website. It does not charge the organizations for its evaluations, nor the public to access the information.

"In ASU Foundation's most recent Charity Navigator evaluation, the organization received its ninth consecutive four-star rating, which is considered the premier trust indicator of the nonprofit sector. Of the thousands of nonprofits we rate, only 2.7% have achieved this milestone," said Charity Navigator President and CEO Michael Thatcher. "ASU Foundation supporters can give confidently knowing that the foundation has a strong commitment to financial efficiency, accountability and transparency."

GuideStar by Candid has also recognized the ASU Foundation with a Gold Seal of Transparency for 2020 for voluntarily and publicly describing its goals, strategies and accomplishments.

Transparency, accountability and strong corporate citizenship are some of the things that attracted Malissia Clinton, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Aerospace Corporation, to join the ASU Foundation board in 2018.

“The ASU Foundation plays an essential role in raising private support for Arizona State University to fulfill its charter, a mission that embodies my own beliefs on inclusion, diversity and being responsible citizens for the communities we serve,” said Clinton, who is an ASU alumna. “I’m very much into diversity and inclusion, and I feel like I have a duty on these boards I sit on to bring those issues forward and to help the organizations be better corporate citizens.”

Read ASU Foundation’s full Charity Navigator rating profile.