Recently, we got some terrific news: Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of US-based nonprofit charities, awarded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) a four star rating, the highest available. According to the confirmation letter from Charity Navigator president Michael Thatcher, this rating demonstrates the FSF's "strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency." A four star charity, according to their ratings, "exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause."

This is our seventh time in a row receiving the coveted four star rating! Only 7% of the charities that Charity Navigator evaluates have gotten this many in a row, and they assess over 9,000 charities a year. As Thatcher's letter says, "This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets the Free Software Foundation apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness." Even better: our overall score went from 96.66 out of 100% last year, up to 98.55 this cycle.

We do score 100% in the transparency category, which we work very hard at. You can see all of our audited financials at https://www.fsf.org/about/financial, and our yearly annual reports give you even more details about our activities. It's nice to see this effort pay off.

This is why you can be confident that when you contribute to the FSF, we're going to turn your money into free software advocacy, infrastructure, and development – and you don't have to just take our word for it, either. We have a certificate that says so! And if you need more confirmation, you can see Charity Navigator's breakdown of our facts and figures on their Free Software Foundation summary page.