Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To train and certify service dogs for individuals with disabilities.
- Income
- $672,756
- Spending
- $736,606
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 11.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 69%
- Employees
- 30
- Volunteers
- 103
- Highest pay
- $76,504, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 82 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 9% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 (1)
- $630,428 spent. 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. If a dog doesn't meet the strict health and temperament criteria for a service dog, the dog is career changed and adopted out as a well-trained pet.SDA continues to lay the groundwork for a Courthouse Dogs (victims' advocacy) program. This program would allow dogs to provide comfort and assistance to victims in every aspect of court proceeding (interviews, testimony, questioning, etc.). The program planning is in its infancy.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 1993.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.