International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Awarded 9th Consecutive 4-Star Rating by Charity Navigator

IAVI Continues to Rank among Top One Percent of Charities Nationwide

New York, July 14, 2010 — The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has been awarded Charity Navigator’s four-star rating for the ninth year in a row—the organization’s highest ranking.  Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent charity evaluator, provides in-depth, objective ratings and analysis of the financial health and fiscal responsibility of America’s largest charities. In earning Charity Navigator’s four-star rating, IAVI has demonstrated the ability to efficiently manage and grow the organization’s finances.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from Charity Navigator,” said Seth Berkley, President and Chief Executive Officer of IAVI. “IAVI will continue to maintain its high standards and to provide our donors with accountable, transparent, quantifiable information on how we’re spending their hard-earned dollars.”

“Less than 1% of the charities we rate have received at least nine consecutive four-star evaluations, indicating that the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America,” stated Ken Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charity Navigator.“This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

Charity Navigator rigorously reviews two broad areas of financial health when rating organizations—their organizational efficiency and their organizational capacity—and also looks at four specific performance categories, including an evaluation of program, administration and fundraising expenses, as well as overall fundraising efficiency. The ratings show donors how competently a charity will use their support, and to what extent the charities are growing their programs and services over time.

In the last ten years, IAVI and its network of partners have translated innovative technologies into 15 vaccine candidates, seven of which have entered human trials in 11 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.  IAVI network partners have also conducted clinical trials on other, non-vaccine HIV prevention technologies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Additionally, IAVI conducts non-interventional clinical research, in partnership with research centers around the world, to inform vaccine design.  These studies cover topics from basic questions of HIV epidemiology in potential trial populations to the cellular and molecular analysis of the immune system’s response to HIV infection.  Recent findings from one of these studies led to the discovery of new broadly neutralizing antibodies that work against a wide variety of HIV isolates circulating worldwide – a finding that has a significant impact on HIV vaccine research.

To view IAVI’s Charity Navigator rating page, please click here.

About IAVI 
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. Founded in 1996 and operational in 25 countries, IAVI and its network of collaborators research and develop vaccine candidates.  IAVI was founded with the generous support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Starr Foundation, and Until There’s A Cure Foundation.  Other major supporters include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, The John D. Evans Foundation, The New York Community Trust, the James B. Pendleton Charitable Trust; the Governments of Canada, Denmark, India, Ireland, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Basque Autonomous Government (Spain), the European Union as well as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and The City of New York, Economic Development Corporation; multilateral organizations such as The World Bank and The OPEC Fund for International Development; corporate donors including BD (Becton, Dickinson & Co.), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Continental Airlines, Google Inc., Pfizer Inc, and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; leading AIDS charities such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS; and many generous individuals from around the world.  For more information, seewww.iavi.org.

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