East Coast Assistance Dogs Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
EDUCATED CANINES ASSISTING WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATES AND PLACES ASSISTANCE DOGS TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES GAIN GREATER INDEPENDENCE AND MOBILITY.
- Income
- $5.4 million
- Spending
- $2.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 62%
- Reserves
- 4.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 97%
- Employees
- 37
- Volunteers
- 150
- Highest pay
- $165,912, program director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 49% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 134% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1561% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $429,313 spent. BREEDING, VETERINARY AND CANINE VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS: THE REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT, WHELPING, RAISING AND EDUCATION OF PURPOSE-BRED SERVICE DOGS OVER THE PAST TWENTY EIGHT YEARS, HAS ALLOWED ECAD TO TITRATE A PROVEN FORMULA FOR THE SUCCESSFUL HEALTH, WELLNESS, TRAINING AND PLACEMENT OF THESE DOGS TO HELP PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES. ECAD USES GOLDEN AND LABRADOR RETRIEVERS AS WELL AS A CROSS OF THE TWO BREEDS TO PRODUCE THE DESIRED RELIABLE PLACEMENTS. VOLUNTEER BREEDER-CARETAKERS CARE FOR DOGS ACTIVE IN OUR BREEDING PROGRAM. NURSERY TEAM FAMILIES WELCOME AN 8 TO 10-WEEK OLD PUPPY INTO THEIR HOMES FOR 6 - 7 MONTHS WITH THE OPTION OF ADDITIONAL STAY. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. THE FAMILIES WILL BEGIN TO TEACH THE PUPPY BASIC COMMANDS (SIT, COME, DOWN, STAY, ETC.), HOUSEHOLD MANNERS, AND THE PUPS GET TO EXPLORE NEW AND DIFFERENT THINGS. OUR HOME HANDLER VOLUNTEERS PICK UP WHERE OUR NURSERY TEAM HOMES LEAVE OFF. THESE VOLUNTEERS BRING AN OLDER DOG INTO THEIR HOME EVERY WEEKEND AND ASSIST IN TEACHING HOME MANNERS, GIVING THE DOGS A BREAK FROM "SCHOOL", SOCIALIZING THEM WITH DOG FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES AND NEW PEOPLE, AND CONTINUING THEIR EDUCATION. THESE VOLUNTEERS ARE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN HOME HANDLER TRAINING BEFORE BEING ELIGIBLE TO BRING A SERVICE DOG IN TRAINING HOME FOR THE WEEKEND. THESE WEEKEND CLASSES ARE HELD REGULARLY AND MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE BEING PERMITTED TO TAKE A DOG INTO THEIR HOME. ADDITIONALLY, HOME HANDLERS CAN TAKE ADVANCED TRAINING SESSIONS AND TAKE A PAT (PUBLIC ACCESS TEST) TO BE ABLE TO SAFELY BRING THEIR WEEKEND CANINE CHARGE OUT INTO PUBLIC SPACES FOR MORE INTENSE AND ADVANCED TRAINING. OUR OVER 150 YOUTH AND ADULT VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF PROVIDE EACH DOG APPROXIMATELY 1,275 HOURS OF STRUCTURED EDUCATION. BY THE END OF THEIR FIRST YEAR OF EDUCATION, EACH DOG HAS LEARNED UP TO 60 DIFFERENT COMMANDS THAT CAN BE COMBINED TO PERFORM EVEN MORE TASKS OF DAILY LIVING DESIGNED TO HELP A PERSON LIVING WITH DISABILITIES.
- $821,747 spent. CANINE EDUCATION AND CLIENT SERVICES: ECAD'S CANINE EDUCATORS SPEND EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS TEACHING THE SERVICE DOGS IN TRAINING TO MASTER MORE THAN EIGHTY COMMANDS. AS AN ASSISTANCE DOGS INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITED ORGANIZATION, EACH ECAD SERVICE DOG RECEIVES FIVE-TIMES THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF REQUIRED CANINE EDUCATION PRIOR TO PLACEMENT. THIS LEVEL OF TRAINING, COUPLED WITH OUR STAFF'S KNOWLEDGE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL DOG'S STRENGTHS, TEMPERAMENT AND QUALITIES - ENABLES US TO MEET THE NEEDS PEOPLE LIVING WITH COMPLEX DISABILITIES THAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE UNABLE TO SERVICE. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. THROUGH OUR DIVERSE CLIENT FOCUSED PROGRAMS, ECAD TRAINS MULTIPLE TYPES OF ASSISTANCE DOGS TO BEST SERVE OUR CLIENTS: SERVICE DOGS ASSIST ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES BY PERFORMING DAILY TASKS SUCH AS PICKING UP DROPPED ITEMS; AND FACILITY DOGS: WORKS WITH A TRAINED AND LICENSED PROFESSIONAL WHO DIRECTLY SERVES CLIENTS IN HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION AND JUDICIAL SETTINGS. THE MATCHING OF CLIENTS AND CANINES TAKES PLACE DURING TEAM TRAINING, AN INTENSIVE TWO-WEEK TRAINING COURSE WHERE CLIENTS LEARN THE SKILLS TO USE THEIR NEW ASSISTANCE DOGS. CLIENTS ALSO LEARN TECHNIQUES TO EXPAND THE RANGE OF COMMANDS TO MEET THEIR PARTICULAR NEEDS IN ADDITION, EACH CLIENT MUST DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE DOG'S CARE AND WELL-BEING BEFORE GRADUATING WITH AN ECAD ASSISTANCE DOG SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1995, ECAD HAS GRADUATED MORE THAN 450 ASSISTANCE DOGS NATIONWIDE, OF WHICH OVER 125 ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TODAY.
- $243,328 spent. PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT: SERVING NATIONALLY, ACTING LOCALLY, PUBLIC INFORMATION AND LOCAL PRESENCE ECAD TAKES A PROACTIVE STANCE IN RAISING AWARENESS OF ASSISTANCE DOGS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. OUR EFFORTS HAVE PRODUCED MANY ARTICLES IN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND NEWSLETTERS. ECAD HAS WORKED WITH NATIONAL AND REGIONAL WEB, RADIO, AND TELEVISION BROADCASTS TO BRING AWARENESS OF OUR PROGRAM TO THE MASSES. ECAD DISTRIBUTES A NATIONAL NEWSLETTER, ELECTRONIC MESSAGES AND DIRECT MAIL PACKAGES THAT EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND PROVIDE PROGRAM UPDATES. FURTHERMORE, ECAD MAINTAINS AND REGULARLY UPDATES ACCOUNTS WITH FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LINKEDIN AND YOUTUBE. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. ALL OF THESE EFFORTS ARE SUPPORTED BY ECAD STAFF AND ARE DEPENDENT ON THE SUPPORT OF MORE THAN 150 VOLUNTEERS, INDIVIDUALLY, IN SMALL GROUPS, AND IN ORGANIZED CHAPTERS, CONDUCT PRESENTATIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS, RAISING AWARENESS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND HOW ASSISTANCE DOGS HELP THEM LEAD MORE INDEPENDENT LIVES. ECAD'S WEBSITE (WWW.ECAD1.ORG) PROVIDES FULL ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
- $197,365 spent. CANDIDATE, CLIENT AND GRADUATE SERVICES: ECAD MAINTAINS A WAITING LIST OF PERSONS DESIRING PLACEMENT WITH AN ASSISTANCE DOG. ALL CANDIDATES ARE INTERVIEWED PRIOR TO BEING ACCEPTED INTO AN ECAD PROGRAM OR ATTENDING A TEAM TRAINING SESSION, SO THAT THEY ARE INFORMED ON ALL THAT IS INVOLVED WITH OBTAINING A SERVICE OR FACILITY DOG. AND TO HOW MUCH THEIR LIFE WILL CHANGE, BOTH IN THE WORKPLACE AND AT HOME. INITIAL INTERVIEWS ARE EXTENSIVE, LASTING UP TO TWO HOURS. ECAD SURVEYS CANDIDATES' MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, FAMILY, EXTENDED SUPPORT GROUP TO ENSURE THE NEEDS OF THE TEAM CAN BE MET. ECAD GRADUATE SERVICES PROGRAM PROVIDES SUPPORT TO EACH GRADUATE TEAM AS THEY BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY ON THEIR NEW LIFE TOGETHER AFTER GRADUATION, TRACKING ALL THE TEAMS THROUGH FOLLOW-UP VISITS AND GRADUATE AFTER ACTIONS REPORTING. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF GRADUATE FOLLOW UP VISITS IS TO MAINTAIN AS WELL AS ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GRADUATE TEAM WELL-BEING. FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES INCLUDE CREATING AN AWARENESS OF VITAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO GRADUATES THAT INCLUDE SAFETY ISSUES, PUBLIC ACCESS RECERTIFICATION, EQUIPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT, ACCESS TO LEGAL ISSUES AND INFORMATION ABOUT PROGRAM UPDATES TASKS PERFORMED BY INSTRUCTORS AT FOLLOW-UP VISITATION INCLUDE 1) ASCERTAINING THAT THE PLACEMENT IS STILL WORKING, 2) CORRECTION OF ANY PROBLEMS THAT MAY EXIST, 3) ENSURING THAT THE DOG IS HEALTHY, 4) ENSURING EQUIPMENT BEING USED IS EFFECTIVE, 5) MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE DOG IS DOING THE COMMANDS INITIALLY TAUGHT, AND THAT THEY ARE STILL NEEDED, AND 6) BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF TEACHING NEW COMMANDS. IN 2024, ECAD STAFF PERFORMED 485 HOURS FOLLOW-UP CARE FOR OVER 91 CLIENT-SERVICE DOG TEAMS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 1996.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.