Of 222 leading policy organizations in the United States, regularly examined by Charity Navigator, the premier evaluator of public charities, the Independent Institute ranks in the top 10% with a highest 4-Star Rating, above virtually all other think tanks. The rating is based on a weighted assessment of organizational efficiency (fundraising efficiency, fundraising expenses, program expenses, and administration expenses) and capacity (average annual growth of primary revenue, average annual growth of program expenses, and working capital ratio).

Here is a comparative sampling of public policy and advocacy organizations.

Organization
Overall Rating
(70 max)
Star Rating
The Independent Institute 64.00 ****
Institute for Policy Studies 63.07 ****
Rand Corporation 62.87 ****
Institute for Justice 62.66 ****
ACLU Foundation 62.42 ****
Hudson Institute 60.85 ****
Alan Guttmacher Institute 60.81 ****
Carnegie Institution 60.69 ****
Electronic Frontier Foundation 60.60 ****
Pacific Legal Foundation 59.50 ***
National Immigration Forum 59.06 ***
Cato Institute 58.75 ***
Woodrow Wilson International Center 58.70 ***
Public Citizen Foundation 57.74 ***
Earthwatch Institute 57.50 ***
NAACP 56.96 ***
Pacific Public Policy Institute 56.60 ***
Acton Institute 56.20 ***
Ethics and Public Policy Center 55.69 ***
Aspen Institute 55.50 ***
Economic Policy Institute 53.94 ***
American Association for the Advancement of Science 53.88 ***
Feminist Majority Foundation 52.45 ***
Brookings Institution 52.41 ***
World Resources Institute 52.33 ***
Resources for the Future 52.11 ***
Heritage Foundation 51.59 ***
Competitive Enterprise Institute 51.26 ***
Ludwig Von Mises Institute 49.93 **
People for the American Way Foundation 49.93 **
Hillsdale College 48.76 **
Population Institute 48.66 **
Institute for International Economics 48.30 **
Committee for Economic Development 48.05 **
Young America's Foundation 47.68 **
George C. Marshall Institute 47.58 **
Mercatus Center 47.36 **
Media Research Center 47.02 **
Santa Fe Institute 46.76 **
American Enterprise Institute 44.59 **
Simon Wiesenthal Center 44.18 **
Family Research Council 43.84 **
Ayn Rand Institute 42.98 **
Reason Foundation 42.28 **
American Council on Science and Health 41.41 **
National Center for Policy Analysis 40.72 **
Citizens Against Government Waste 37.20 *
Center for Science in the Public Interest 36.92 *
NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund 35.58 *
Leadership Institute 34.78 *
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation 29.59 *
Mountain States Legal Foundation 29.10 *
Foundation for Economic Education 27.74 *
League of Women Voters Education Fund 27.50 *