The Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) has earned a perfect classification from the online Charity Navigator, with a score of 100 percent for fiscal management and accountability. This is ANRF’s ninth consecutive four-star rating, reaching the top 1 percent of U.S. charities that done likewise.

The achievement further validates the foundation’s work as a leading charity for 54 million Americans affected by arthritis-related conditions, and earns ANRF a spot on Charity Navigator’s “10 Charities Worth Watching” as well as on its “Charities with Perfect Scores” page.

Praising the ANRF, Michael Thatcher, president and chief executive officer of Charity Navigator, “Only 1 percent of the charities we evaluate have received at least nine consecutive four-star evaluations, indicating that ANRF outperforms most other charities in America,” said Michael Thatcher, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, said in a press release. “This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets ANRF apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.”

Based in Long Beach, California, the ANRF is the only U.S. charity working solely to support emerging, early-career research to find a cure for arthritis. The foundation funds projects on rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, gout and many other forms of the disease.

Some of the research the ANRF is funding includes:

• Stem cell research, which could make joint replacement surgery obsolete within the next three to five years;
• Research on natural molecules in the body that regulate the growth of cartilage, which may lead to new methods of cartilage repair;
• Research on stem cells, which could be used to replace damaged knee meniscus tissue;
• Studies of cartilage breakdown in joint injury, obesity and aging, as it relates to osteoarthritis, which could help identify new treatment targets;
• Research on molecules from a sea anemone that could lead to a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis;
• The use of nanotechnology to more accurately pinpoint the delivery of arthritis medication, thereby reducing medication side effects; and
• Research on new targets in gout therapy, which has already led to an investigational treatment now in clinical trials.

Without any federal or government grants, the foundation lives from private and corporate donations. More than 90 percent of all donations received are used for arthritis research programs. The organization has grown from supporting only a few scientists per year, to funding 12 to 16 projects, totaling over $1.3 million in 2016 alone.

Each year, the ANRF awards a specific grant for juvenile arthritis research. At least 300,000 American children have an aggressive form of autoimmune arthritis.