irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $1.65MBREEDING AND PUPPY PROGRAM -DURING FY 2025, THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTED 108 DOGS IN THE BREEDING COLONY. THE BREEDING COLONY IS CAREFULLY SELECTED AFTER EXTENSIVE SCREENING AND TESTING. DURING FY 2025, 362 PUPPIES WERE ADDED TO THE PROGRAMS OF THE GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION AND AMERICA'S VETDOGS. PUPPIES SPEND SEVEN TO EIGHT WEEKS IN OUR PUPPY NURSERY. FROM THE NURSERY THEY SPEND APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR IN THE HOME OF A VOLUNTEER PUPPY RAISER OR PRISON PUPPY PROGRAM BEFORE COMING BACK TO THE ORGANIZATION FOR FORMAL TRAINING. DURING FY 2025 A TOTAL OF 373 PUPPIES WERE PLACED. 266 PUPPIES WERE PLACED IN PUPPY RAISER HOMES AND 107 PUPPIES PARTICIPATED IN OUR PRISON PUPPY PROGRAM. THE ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY SUPPORTS PUPPY RAISERS IN NEARLY 20 STATES AND HAS AGREEMENTS WITH 14 PRISONS THROUGHOUT MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, FLORIDA, CONNECTICUT, MAINE AND PENNSYLVANIA. DURING THE TIME THE PUPPIES ARE IN PUPPY RAISER HOMES, WE SUPPORT THE VOLUNTEER FAMILY THROUGH CONSTANT OUTREACH, COMMUNICATION AND TRAINING. WE BRING OUR VOLUNTEER REGIONAL PUPPY RAISER COORDINATORS ON CAMPUS FOR TRAINING AND SUPPORT THAT THEY CAN SHARE WITH THEIR LOCAL REGIONALLY BASED PUPPY RAISING FAMILIES. THE PROFESSIONAL PUPPY STAFF SUPPORTS OUR PUPPY RAISING VOLUNTEERS AND OUR STAFF TYPICALLY VISITS EACH PRISON WEEKLY TO FOLLOW UP AND TRAIN THE INMATE HANDLERS WHO ARE CAREFULLY SCREENED TO ENSURE THEY ARE SUITABLE CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM.
- #2 $1.44MPUBLIC EDUCATION - PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ARE IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE MISSION OF GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND. THE FOUNDATION PARTNERED WITH THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS TO RAISE GUIDE DOG MONTE AND DEMONSTRATED VARIOUS SKILLS A GUIDE DOG CAN PROVIDE. THIS PAST YEAR, THREE ISSUES OF THE GUIDEWAY WERE DISTRIBUTED TO OVER 38,600 RECIPIENTS. THE GUIDEWAY IS THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT GUIDE DOGS, GUIDE DOG ETIQUETTE, AND DISABILITY ISSUES. ORGANIZATION GRADUATES, PUPPY RAISERS AND CARETAKERS WENT ON OVER 98 SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS OFF CAMPUS AND EACH ONE TYPICALLY HAS AN AUDIENCE OF 30 OR MORE PEOPLE. THE GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION HAS EMBRACED SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MEANS TO REACH OUR SUPPORTERS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY. WE CURRENTLY HAVE NEARLY 46,100 LIKES ON FACEBOOK AND OVER 4,800 FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE ANOTHER 113,000 FOLLOWERS THROUGH YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, TIK TOK, THREADS AND INSTAGRAM.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Breeding and Puppy Program
Manages a breeding colony and puppy nursery; places puppies with volunteer raisers or in prison programs for one year before formal training; supports over 300 puppies annually across nearly 20 states and 14 correctional facilities
Prison Puppy Program
Partners with 14 prisons in multiple states to train puppies through inmate handlers who are carefully screened and supported by professional staff with weekly visits
Public Education
Distributes the Guideway newsletter to over 38,600 recipients, conducts public speaking engagements, and uses social media platforms to educate the public on guide dogs, visual impairments, and disability etiquette
activities · 4 groups
What they do
-
Animal-Assisted Support Services 5 activities
- Management of breeding colony and puppy distributionSupports a breeding colony of 108 dogs and places approximately 373 puppies annually into volunteer puppy raiser homes or prison puppy programs, ensuring a pipeline for future assistance dogs.
- Operation of puppy socialization and raising programsPlaces puppies in volunteer homes at 8–12 weeks old for socialization and early training, operates a Prison Puppy Program where incarcerated individuals raise puppies Monday–Friday with weekend care by volunteer raisers, and partners with colleges for campus-based puppy raising programs. Puppies return to campus at 14–18 months for formal training.
- Provision of free training and support servicesProvides guide dogs and two-week training programs at no cost to qualified applicants, including transportation, room and board, and aftercare services. Offers short-term puppy camp opportunities for socialization lasting from a few days to several months.
- Retired guide dog adoption and alternative placementOffers retired guide dogs for adoption by graduates, their families, or close associates, and places dogs that do not qualify for guide dog training with partner organizations for roles such as explosives detection or other assistance work.
- Training and placement of assistance dogsTrains and places guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision, service dogs for people with physical disabilities, service dogs to mitigate post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing dogs for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and facility dogs for use in military and VA hospital rehabilitation programs, all at no cost to recipients. The organization operates a comprehensive breeding, raising, and training program, including formal instruction by certified trainers over 3–4 months and matching dogs with individuals in need.
-
-
Campus Facility Operations and Management 1 activity
- Operation of training campus and facilitiesOperates a ten-acre campus in Smithtown, NY, featuring a National Administrative Center, Student Residence Hall, state-of-the-art kennels, a puppy nursery, and training facilities to support its guide and service dog programs.
-
-
Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Public education and outreachDistributes three issues of The Guideway newsletter annually to over 38,600 recipients and conducts over 98 off-campus speaking engagements each year to educate the public about guide dogs, disability etiquette, vision impairment, and disability rights.
-
-
Veteran Support Grantmaking 1 activity
- Support for America’s VetDogsFunds and supports America’s VetDogs, a program that provides veterans with guide dogs, service dogs, and specialized training programs, including graduating guide dog and PTSD/service dog teams and placing facility dogs.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$15.51M
Contributions & grants$12.86M83%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$2.27M15%
Other revenue$376K
expenses
Total expenses$9.71M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$5.89M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$71.73M
Cash$24.53M
Investments$32.37M
Liabilities$1.81M
Net assets$69.93M
Liquid reserves70.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -13.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN MILLER | PRESIDENT AND CEO | 20 | $644K |
| MICHAEL ROSEN | CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER | 20 | $272K |
| LAURA ENGLISH | CHIEF OF STAFF | 20 | $268K |
| BRADLEY HIBBARD | CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | 20 | $265K |
| DAVID LOCKLIN | CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER | 20 | $262K |
| GRETE EIDE | CHIEF CANINE CARE OFFICER | 20 | $195K |
| VALERIE CRAMER | DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS | 20 | $167K |
| MICHAEL BIZZARRO | DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | 20 | $163K |
board members · 17
- ALPHONCE J BROWN JR ACFRE — VICE CHAIR - DEVELOPMENT
- CELESE V LOPES ESQ — BOARD MEMBER
- CHARLES BONOMO — BOARD MEMBER
- DONALD DEA — CHAIR
- GARTH JORDAN — BOARD MEMBER
- GARY BROWN — BOARD MEMBER
- GLENN SCHNEIDER — BOARD MEMBER
- GLENN TECKER — VICE CHAIR - PLANNING
- JOSEPH N CAMPOLO ESQ — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- KRISTEN CHAMBERS — BOARD MEMBER
- LACHELLE SMITH — VICE CHAIR - PROGRAM
- LESLIE H TAYNE ESQ — SECRETARY
- MAX ROHN — BOARD MEMBER
- MICHAEL F TROIANO ESQ — VICE CHAIR - CONSUMER EXP. & ENGAG.
- MING CHIANG — BOARD MEMBER
- PAMELA KAUL — BOARD MEMBER
- PAMELA TATE — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
relationships · 23
Who they work with
- America's VetDogs Coalition — Sister nonprofit organization collaborating on the Prison Puppy Program and shared puppy raising initiatives.
- America's VetDogs Partner — Co-located partner organization sharing the campus and mission focus on service dogs.
- America's VetDogs Partner — Collaborative organizational leadership and shared board of directors
- America's VetDogs Partner — Jointly operates breeding and puppy programs and collaborates on graduating guide and service dog teams for veterans and individuals with disabilities.
- America's VetDogs Partner — Sister organization that shares accreditation status and organizational affiliation with Guide Dog Foundation.
- America’s VetDogs Partner — Created and incorporated by the Guide Dog Foundation to serve veterans with guide and service dogs.
- America’s VetDogs Partner — Sister organization that collaborates in training and placing service and guide dogs for individuals with disabilities, including veterans.
- America’s VetDogs Partner — Sister organization to the Guide Dog Foundation; graduates of either organization may adopt retiring dogs.
- Assistance Dogs International Government — Accredits the Guide Dog Foundation as a certified service dog school.
- Better Business Bureau Government — Evaluates and rates the Guide Dog Foundation for ethical practices and transparency.
- Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance Government — Accredited the Guide Dog Foundation as meeting “Standards for Charity Accountability”
- Candid GuideStar Government — Recognizes the Foundation as a Platinum Participant for transparency
- Charity Navigator Government — Evaluates and rates the Guide Dog Foundation for financial and operational accountability.
- Charity Navigator Government — Rated the Guide Dog Foundation as a “4-star charity”
- Charity Watch Government — Listed the Guide Dog Foundation as “Top-Rated” with a grade of “A”
- Community Organizations Funder — Supports the Foundation financially through collective community giving.
- Corporations Funder — Contributes funding to support the breeding, training, and placement of assistance dogs.
- Development team Partner — Team responsible for processing donations and supporting fundraising efforts.
- Foundations Funder — Provides grant funding to support the operations and mission of the Guide Dog Foundation.
- GuideStar Government — Recognizes the Guide Dog Foundation with high ratings for nonprofit transparency and performance.
- Individual Donors Funder — Provides financial support through personal donations enabling the Foundation to offer services free of charge.
- International Guide Dog Federation Government — Accredits the Guide Dog Foundation as a certified guide dog school.
- New York Islanders Partner — Collaborated to raise awareness about guide dogs by featuring Guide Dog Monte and demonstrating guide dog skills.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Free Placement as a Mechanism for Equitable Accessmethodology: equitable_access_modelBy placing guide and service dogs at no cost to recipients, the organization removes financial barriers to independence for people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs, because cost-free access ensures that assistive support is determined by need rather than economic capacity.
- Individualized, Client-Centered Training Modelmethodology: client_centered_trainingBy custom-training each guide or service dog to the specific needs of the individual and using adaptive, collaborative methods between instructor and student, the organization enhances independence and mobility outcomes because personalized instruction and mutual problem-solving improve team performance and long-term success.
- Selective Breeding for Behavioral Reliabilitymethodology: selective_breedingBy breeding Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers specifically for temperament, gentleness, and physical soundness, the organization ensures a pipeline of dogs suited for guide work because genetic and behavioral selection increases the proportion of dogs that successfully complete training and achieve placement.
- Volunteer-Integrated Puppy Development Networkmethodology: puppy_raising_networkBy placing puppies in volunteer homes and correctional facilities with full organizational support—including veterinary care, supplies, and ongoing training—the organization ensures cost-effective, socially embedded development of future guide dogs because distributed, community-supported rearing builds foundational socialization and reduces institutional overhead.