Contact: John Couretas, Acton Institute, 616-454-3080, jcouretas@acton.org

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Acton Institute's annual search for America's best charities is underway. The Samaritan Award is a national program which recognizes 10 U.S.-based charities that receive little to no government funding and affirm that effective charity is rooted in the unique dignity of the human person. The program awards one first place prize of $10,000 and second and third place prizes of $1,000 each.

The annual Samaritan Awards identifies programs that exemplify the key principles of effective compassion outlined in Dr. Marvin Olasky's book, The Tragedy of American Compassion. These principles demonstrate accountability and transparency in the program and financial areas. The exceptional charities recognized by the Samaritan Award help individuals break the cycle of dependency by providing help that is direct, personal, and accountable.

All applicants for the award will be included in the online Samaritan Guide, a searchable database used by charities, community leaders, individual donors, corporate and foundation investors. The Guide is available to anyone without cost.

In addition, the 2007 Samaritan Award honorees, to be announced in late summer, will be profiled in a special edition of WORLD magazine and will receive national recognition.

Award applications are available online only from May 1-31, 2007. To find out more, please visit the Samaritan Guide at www.samaritanguide.com. Questions about the application may be directed to Karen Weber at (800) 345-2286 or kweber@acton.org

The Acton Institute is a nonprofit, ecumenical research and educational organization located in Grand Rapids. The Institute works internationally to "promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles." For more on the Acton Institute, please visit www.acton.org