Clear Path for Veterans Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
275206513
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Chittenango, NY, USA
Phone
3156873300
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,029,716
Expenses
$4,781,843
Assets
$3,759,581
Liabilities
$1,863,426

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RYAN WOODRUFF (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • ALEX BEHM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • RYAN WOODRUFF (PRESIDENT/CEO): $130,000 total reported compensation
  • ALEX BEHM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $117,577 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

At clear path for veterans, we forge meaningful connections with the military, veterans, and their families and nurture them over time. Creating a strong network of trust and community support, we help each person navigate their unique journey, foster connections, and find a clear path to a brighter future. Vision: our vision is to embody the values of traditional warrior culture by embracing a warrior's desire to give to and participate equally in a free world. By creating a welcoming space where an informed and inspired community can work in partnership with them, we transcend the military-civilian divide through shared understanding and mutual support.

What it reported doing in 2025

See schedule ocanine program: clear path's flagship canine program trains and places service dogs with veterans at no cost to the veteran. The program is accredited by assistance dogs international, which ensures members uphold the highest standards of excellence in the service dog industry. Purpose-bred puppies begin training at birth and continue throughout the first 24 months of life, raised from 8 weeks to 18 months by volunteers called canine guardians who receive weekly instruction from certified trainers. Each service dog is carefully matched with their veteran counterpart, ensuring the highest potential relationship capacity and compatibility. In 2025, the program delivered nearly 3,500 canine training hours, with 32 dogs in training, 27 veterans enrolled, and 24 active canine guardians. Clear path also believes pet dogs may play a vital role in healing and offers an extended owner-trainer model for veterans hoping to enroll their personal dogs; a 2018 syracuse university study found the program reduced symptomatic ptsd, increased self-compassion, reduced stress, and increased quality of life. Expenses reflect the acquisition and veterinary care of purpose-bred dogs, professional training staff, and lifetime team support, all provided free of charge.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 75.6%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.9%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.79; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.1% of revenue deployed · 75.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 15 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $254K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.