For Immediate Release
November 24, 2008
Contact: Michelle Cragle
mcragle@nmwa.org, 202-783-7373

WASHINGTON—Charity Navigator, America’s foremost independent charity evaluator, recently awarded the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) its prestigious four star rating, the highest rating available. This award recognizes NMWA’s excellence in the effective and efficient management of its finances and operations.

“We are proud to have received this top rating from Charity Navigator,” states NMWA director Susan Fisher Sterling. “As a 21-year old arts institution, this is quite an honor and we look forward to upholding this high level of fiscal and operational management in the future.”

Charity Navigator evaluates the financial health of America’s largest non-profit organizations in order to promote responsible charitable giving. The ratings are based on the organizational efficiency and the organizational capacity of the charity. Organizational efficiency refers to the day to day functions of the charity, such as effective spending and fundraising, while organizational capacity refers to the charity’s potential for growth and continued success. A four out of a possible four star rating signifies the organization exceeds industry standards and surpasses other charities in these areas of financial health.

About NMWA

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. Founded as a private, not-for-profit organization by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay in 1981 and opened in 1987, the museum honors women artists of the past, promotes the accomplishments of women artists of the present, and assures the place of women artists in the future. The permanent collection features 3,000 works from the 16th-century to the present created by more than 800 artists, including Lavinia Fontana, Alma Thomas, Louise Nevelson, Lilla Cabot Perry and Frida Kahlo, along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware and botanical prints. NMWA offers regular multidisciplinary programs for adults, young people, and families, including role model workshops, film, music and literary series. The museum maintains a publicly accessible Library and Research Center (LRC), the foremost repository of information on art by women. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC in a landmark building just blocks from the White House. It is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For information, call 202-783-5000 or visit the museum’s website at www.nmwa.org.