Prairie State Legal Services Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator

April 14, 2021

Prairie State Legal Service’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the seventh consecutive time that Prairie State Legal Services has earned this top distinction.

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, we upgraded our methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of our 4-star charities.

“Prairie State Legal Services’ 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 Prairie State 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 Prairie State Legal Services.”

“It’s important our donors trust that we’re using their donations wisely to accomplish our mission,” said Mike O’Connor, Executive Director of Prairie State Legal Services. “Our 4-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to our donors and supporters that we will make wise use of their funds.”

Prairie State Legal Services rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org.