Science Museum earns charity group’s top rating

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  • Photo provided             Visitors at the Kirkpatrick Planetarium at Science Museum Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Science Museum Oklahoma’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the fourth year SMO has earned this distinction, placing it in the top 20% of non-profits reviewed by Charity Navigator.

For the past 18 years, using an objective analysis, only the most fiscally responsible organizations have received a four-star rating, the museum said in a news release. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These measures, which account for 50% of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate according to the industry’s best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders.

In June 2016, Charity Navigator upgraded its methods for rating charities’ financial health, further substantiating the financial strength of their four-star nonprofits.

“Science Museum Oklahoma’s exceptional four-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 four-star rating. This adds Science Museum Oklahoma to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges.”

Science Museum Oklahoma President and CEO Sherry Marshall said: “It is important for us to earn our donors’ trust, using their gifts wisely to transform how people learn about and experience science. Our four-star Charity Navigator rating demonstrates to supporters our efficiency, good governance and financial accountability, all of which allows us to serve our community through innovative programs and exhibits.”