Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation DBA Service Dogs for America (SDA) is a fully accredited (by Assistance Dogs International) service dog training program. We are also a member of Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII). SDA proudly offers their services as a BEST PRACTICES organization.Continued Schedule (O)As a result of the high standards and dedication to being a best practices organization, the Executive Director was nominated for and elected to hold a seat on both the International and North America chapter Boards for Assistance Dogs International. Service Dogs for America's Executive Director holds the secretary position on the International Board and chairs the Candidate Review Committee within the North American chapter.Our program continues to feel the after-effects of Covid-19. These after-effects have lingered well beyond what we expected. We continue to have shortages of staff, difficulty securing purpose bred canines that are of both appropriate health and temperament for service dog work.For fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, Service Dogs for America placed a handful of highly trained service dogs, and continued successfully processing applications, getting applicants medically qualified to receive a service dog from our program. We also continued training service dogs for veterans and civilians, including first responders - for PTSD, Seizure Response, and Mobility Assist service dog.Service Dogs for America places services dogs within the lower 48 states in the US. As evidenced by the number of dogs placed, one of the newest and most successful programs Service Dogs for America currently is the PTSD service dog program. We secured a grant which assisted us in placing service dogs with veterans at no cost to the veteran. Service Dogs for America continues to be one of the only fully accredited (by Assistance Dogs International, ADI) service dog organization placing PTSD service dogs with civilian, first responders, as well as veterans. Service Dogs for America has been accredited by ADI since 2010.Service Dogs for America is also the only Assistance Dogs International accredited organization without a waiting list for client placements. That means as soon as a client is medically approved for placement, their team training can begin as soon as they can travel to our campus for team training! The industry has an average waiting list of two to five years! We are able to do this by strategically dual and triple training each dog, from the onset. This allows for a significant improvement in the independence of their recipients. Service Dogs for America is the only accredited program in the United States who trains using Canine Cognition training protocols. Our Inmate Canine Assistance Programs (ICAP) continues to flourish. We started our flagship ICAP program in Jamestown (James River Correctional Center) in 2008. In June 2015, we expanded into the Bismarck region by adding a Prison Puppy Program at Missouri River Correctional Center (MRCC). In April 2016, we partnered with the North Dakota State Penitentiary to offer ICAP at their facility in Bismarck. With these programs, our certified trainers instruct inmates on our dog training techniques and the inmates work, daily, training the canines on tasks and behaviors from Basic 5 commands (sit, stay, down, heel, come) all the way through advanced service dog behaviors (alert, open door, etc.). There are 36 handlers in ICAP. That is 36 residents who are able to learn to train service dogs and give back to the community through their service. The ultimate goal of this program is to offer inmates a useful job skill which will assist them in their transition back into society.Service Dogs for America receives their dog inventory from ADI's breeding cooperative, reputable breeders, and collaborates with dog rescue organizations in the region to obtain appropriate dogs for the program. The dogs are temperament-tested by the staff at Service Dogs for America. I

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 97.8%; rating input score 98
• Program expense ratio: 85.6%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $10.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

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: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -9.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.36; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10.4%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings