Mk9s Service Dogs
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 841899696
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022
- Location
- Vienna, VA, USA
- Phone
- 7033363618
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Animal-Related N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $87,198
- Expenses
- $40,336
- Assets
- $635,105
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Michele Khol (Director, President)
- Blake Myers (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- Michele Khol (Director, President)
- Jody Cracco (Director)
- June Harper (Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
MK9s Service Dogs' mission is to provide highly trained service dogs to maximize the independence and quality of life of veterans with physical and/or mental health disabilities at no cost to the veteran.
What it reported doing in 2025
Outreach is a critical component to MK9s Service Dogs' continued success. Lead trainer is co-chair of Northern Virginia Collaborative which works with military members, veterans and organizations that support these communities. Several MK9s Service Dogs' volunteers participated in outreach events this year. The Veterans Curation Program Open House and Resource Fair in Arlington, Virginia had over 100 participants and attendees in which two of our Service Dogs in Training attended. The volunteers presented information and answered questions about utilizing a service dog. Our retired Service Dog and his handler participated in a Veteran Outreach program in MD this year. Mrs. Raley (handler) gave a presentation about service dogs and their impact on veterans' mental health. Over 75 people attended her presentation. MK9s continued participating in a monthly program at a local restaurant to educate individuals. During this program approximately 100 individuals were engaged. Several MK9s Service Dog volunteers and Service Dogs in Training participated in the Walter Reed Hospital Stress Down event in the summer which led to monthly visits to Walter Reed Hospital to provide health breaks for the students in the practical nurse program. Approximately 150 nursing students and instructors were engaged in this five month program.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 74% for direct work, and 26% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 74
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.1%; rating input score 59
- Program expense ratio: 94%; rating input score 94
- Fundraising efficiency: $133.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 53.7%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.75; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 62% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 42% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.1% of revenue deployed · 94% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $38K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.