AmeriCares Ranked Third Largest Charity by The Chronicle of Philanthropy

STAMFORD, CT, October 24, 2006 – The Chronicle of Philanthropy, America’s leading publication for charitable giving, has ranked AmeriCares as the nation’s third largest non-profit recipient of private donations.

AmeriCares received more than $1.3 billion in private contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations for the 2005 fiscal year. 

The Chronicle of Philanthropy compares 400 nonprofit organizations annually.  This year’s distinction reflects exceptional growth for AmeriCares, as the organization jumped from fifth place last year to the third place slot.  The rankings show a charity’s ability to attract private support, and are calculated using financial data gathered by the magazine.     The two charities most supported by private contributions are the United Way and the Salvation Army.

“The South Asian tsunami in December 2004 precipitated an unprecedented level of charitable support for AmeriCares,” says AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling, “and we continue to see a high level of giving from our donors.  Equally important, we have been disciplined in maintaining low operating expenses.”  AmeriCares management and general expenses consistently represent below 2% of total expenses.