For the ninth year in a row Paterson-based nonprofit organization Eva’s Village received four-star rating, highest possible for a nonprofit, from the Charity Navigator, an independent charity watchdog.
Only 6-percent of charities in the United States have Charity Navigator’s four-star rating for at least five consecutive years. A charity that scores 90 or more out of 100 points on several categories – financial health, accountability, and transparency – receives a four-star rating, according to the Glen Rock-based Charity Navigator.
Eva’s Village received an overall score of 97.63-percent based on the organization’s new metric aimed at capturing a charity’s financial efficiency and capacity. More than 2,100 charities out of 8,000 saw their organization’s rating change on June 1, 2016 due to the application of the new evaluation metric, but Eva’s Village maintained its top ranking.
Founded in 1982 as a food kitchen that served 30 meals a day to the hungry in Paterson, the charity expanded to provide addiction, mental illness, medical and dental care, homeless shelter, and other services, becoming the largest anti-poverty organization in New Jersey.
In all, Eva’s Village offers 20 integrated programs to thousands of individuals, allowing them to rebuild their lives.
Eva’s Village spent 86-percent of its funds towards program expenses. Approximately 7-percent towards administrative expenses and 7-percent towards fundraising, according to fiscal year 2014 financial documents.
The nonprofit had a total revenue of $8.4 million. 72-percent of the nonprofit’s revenue came from government grants and 26-percent from contributions, gifts, and private grants.
The four-star rating makes the nonprofit an “exceptional” charity that “exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause,” according to the rating organization’s website.
Other Paterson charities with four-star ratings are Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children, Paterson Habitat for Humanity, and United Way of Passaic County, according to Charity Navigator.