Welcome to the Samaritan Award and Guide

Private charities do demanding and heroic work for vulnerable people. We seek to reward their good work with prizes and publicity.

The Samaritan Award

This $10,000 grand prize is awarded once a year to an exceptional and privately funded nonprofit that fosters deep personal change in the individuals they serve. A comprehensive application makes an organization eligible for the Award and enters it in the Samaritan Guide.

Applications are no longer available.

The Samaritan Guide

This online guide provides detailed information on hundreds of private charities around the country. This unique charities rating resource is intended to be a reference for charities and donors alike, encouraging good practices and prudent investments.

Find a Non-Profit: Browse By: Award Winners | Excellent Non-Profits | All Programs

News

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 26, 2008) — The finalists for the 2008 Samaritan Award, created to honor "grassroots" nonprofit organizations, were announced by the Acton Institute. After scoring was completed by a team of social science experts at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, the top 10 applicants will now go on to compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize to be announced in early August. All finalists will be visited by WORLD magazine journalists and profiled in a special issue on August 15. The finalists are:

  • Citizens for Community Values, A Way Out Program, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Fresno Rescue Mission, The Academy, Fresno, Calif.
  • Guardian Angels Homes, Faith in Action, Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Lighthouse Ministries, One Stop Care, Lakeland, Fla.
  • Panama City Rescue Mission, Pathways: Residential Recovery Program and Enterprise, Panama City, Fla.
  • Promise of Hope, Inc., Recovery Program, Dudley, Ga.
  • Redwood Gospel Mission, New Life Recovery, Santa Rosa, Calif.
  • Restoration Ministries, Inc., Harvey House School of Ministry, Harvey, Ill.
  • South Side Mission, South Side Mission External Ministries, Peoria, Ill.
  • Union Mission Ministries, New Life Center Recovery Program, Virginia Beach, Va.

The Samaritan Award is given to a highly successful, privately funded charity whose work is direct, personal, and accountable. Its purpose is to encourage charities who, like the Good Samaritan, get intimately involved with individuals and work to bring about real change in the lives of those in need.

Samaritan Guide