AmeriCares Receives Four-Star Rating From Charity Navigator

Fifth Consecutive Year For Highest Rating

Stamford, CT, June 20 2006 – AmeriCares has been awarded Charity Navigator’s four-star rating for the fifth consecutive year. Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent evaluator of charities, provides extensive information on charitable organizations to prospective donors so that they may make informed giving decisions.

A four-star rating is the highest rating possible.

According to Trent Stamp, executive director of Charity Navigator, “Only 12% of the charities we’ve rated have received at least two consecutive 4-star evaluations. AmeriCares outperforms most charities in America in its efforts to operate in the most fiscally responsible way possible. This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates AmeriCares from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

“We are pleased to receive this important recognition again,” said Curt Welling, president and chief executive officer of AmeriCares. “Donors are increasingly demanding that nonprofits be held accountable for how they spend their funds. Our two decades of experience have allowed us to develop a business model that leverages contributions for maximum impact, and in the end, this enables us to mobilize our humanitarian aid quickly and effectively, which is what our donors want.”

Charity Navigator ranks charities from one to four stars, based on each organization’s financial health, efficiency and capacity. The ratings show donors how efficiently a charity will use their support and to what extent the charities are growing their programs and services over time. More details of the assessment are available at charitynavigator.org.