Philanthropic Watchdog Tells Donors that Root Capital Ranks Among Top 1% of All Nonprofits

Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 2, 2016 – Root Capital’s sound fiscal management practices 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 10th consecutive time that Root Capital has earned this top distinction.

Using objective, data-driven 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 have best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and whether they freely share basic information about their organization with their donors and other stakeholders.

“Root Capital’s coveted 4-star rating puts it in a very select group of high-performing charities,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only 1 percent of the charities we evaluate have received at least 10 consecutive 4-star evaluations—a rating that demands rigor, responsibility, and commitment to openness. Root Capital supporters should feel much more confident that their hard-earned dollars are being used efficiently and responsibly when it acquires such a high rating.”

Without access to predictable markets for their crops, millions of small-scale rural farmers are vulnerable to taking lower prices and are trapped in a cycle of poverty. Root Capital helps agricultural businesses become engines of impact that transform rural communities, improving food security, empowering women, and investing in the next generation of farmers in the process. Enabling farmers to change their fate and the course of the world will require a collective effort, anchored by supporters whose generosity unlocks Root Capital’s ability to serve agricultural businesses around the world.

“It’s important that our donors and investors trust that we’re using their funding efficiently to increase incomes for rural farmers around the world,” said Catherine Gill, Executive Vice President of Root Capital. “I am really proud that we can demonstrate that commitment to our supporters with a the 4-star Charity Navigator rating. I hope that it will inspire others to join us in helping to build prosperity in rural communities.”

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

About Root Capital

Root Capital is a US-based agricultural impact investor that helps increase income and stabilize employment for rural farmers by investing in the agribusinesses that collect and market their crops. Root Capital provides these agribusinesses with a unique combination of capital, training, and access to markets to help them grow and become engines of impact for rural communities. Since 1999, Root Capital has disbursed $980 million in credit to 623 businesses, representing 1.2 million smallholder farmers. For more information, visit www.rootcapital.org.

About Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, 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. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 101, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.