RLS Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator

Austin, Texas, Dec. 22, 2017 – The RLS Foundation’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.

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 these organizations are open with their donors and stakeholders. In 2016, Charity Navigator enhanced its methodology to further substantiate the financial health of 4-star charities.

“The RLS Foundation’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” said Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds the RLS Foundation 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 the RLS Foundation.”

“We’re thrilled to achieve the 4-star rating from Charity Navigator,” said RLS Foundation Executive Director Karla Dzienkowski, RN, BSN. “This rating demonstrates our good governance and financial accountability, and assures our supporters that we are making wise use of their investment. Seventy six percent of the money donated to the RLS Foundation is used to fund research towards better treatments and a cure, to advocate for RLS victims, and to raise awareness about this very serious medical condition.”

The RLS Foundation’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More detailed information is available to Charity Navigator site visitors who become registered users, another free service.

About the RLS Foundation

The RLS Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of men, women and children who live with restless legs syndrome (RLS, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease). Founded in 1992, the Foundation’s goals are to increase awareness, improve treatments and through research, find a cure for RLS. The Foundation serves healthcare providers, researchers, nearly 5,000 members and an estimated 7 million individuals in the United States who have RLS. The RLS Foundation has awarded over $1.6 million to fund medical research on RLS causes and treatments. For more information or to become a member, visit www.rls.org.

About Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America, and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations; nor does it charge the public for this trusted data. As a result, Charity Navigator, a 501(c)(3) public charity itself, depends on support from individuals, corporations and foundations that believe it provides a much-needed service to America's charitable givers.