Disable all preview features

Animals : Animal Rights, Welfare, and Services

Canine Companions for Independence

Exceptional dogs for exceptional people

three stars

86.55

2965 Dutton Avenue P.O. Box 446
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
tel: (800) 572-2275   Web Site
EIN: 94-2494324

Board Leadership
John Miller
Board Chair

CEO
Paul E. Mundell
Chief Executive Officer

 
 
  Score
(out of 100)		 Rating
Overall Score & Rating 86.55 three stars
  Financial 80.99 three stars
  Accountability & Transparency 100.00 four stars
This rating was published 02/01/2017 and includes data from FY2015, the most recent 990 received at that time.
Why isn't this based on more recent data?

Learn more about how we calculate the overall score and rating.

Financial

three stars

80.99

Accountability & Transparency

four stars

100.00

This rating was published 02/01/2017 and includes data from FY2015, the most recent 990 received at that time.
Why isn't this based on more recent data?
Overall Rating Chart
  Program Expenses
(Percent of the charity's total expenses spent on the programs
and services it delivers)		 71.9%
  Administrative Expenses 6.3%
  Fundraising Expenses 21.7%
  Fundraising Efficiency $0.20
  Working Capital Ratio (years) 2.61
  Program Expenses Growth 6.2%
  Liabilities to Assets 4.9%
All data for Financial Performance Metrics calculations was provided by Canine Companions for Independence on recent 990s filed with the IRS.
All data for Financial Performance Metrics calculations was provided by Canine Companions for Independence on recent 990s filed with the IRS.
Information Provided on the Form 990  
  Independent Voting Board Members
  No Material diversion of assets
  Audited financials prepared by independent accountant
  Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From related parties
  Documents Board Meeting Minutes
  Provided copy of Form 990 to organization's governing body in advance of filing
  Conflict of Interest Policy
  Whistleblower Policy
  Records Retention and Destruction Policy
  CEO listed with salary
  Process for determining CEO compensation
  Board Listed / Board Members Not Compensated
Is the following information easily accessible on the charity's website?  
  Donor Privacy Policy
  Board Members Listed
  Audited Financials
  Form 990
  Key staff listed

Highly Rated

Charity Name & State Overall Score Overall Rating
Canine Companions for Independence (CA) 86.55 three stars
Dogs for the Deaf (OR) 93.78 four stars
Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind (PA) 92.92 four stars
Paws With A Cause (MI) 90.59 four stars
Canine Partners For Life (PA) 86.47 three stars

Compare These Charities (Highly Rated)

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, Canine Companions for Independence enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Canine Companions trains four types of assistance dogs to master over 40 specialized commands: Service Dogs, Skilled Companions, Hearing Dogs and Facility Dogs. After completing training, the dogs are teamed with a graduate during an intensive two week training period (Team Training). 309 assistance dogs were placed in 2015, and the 5,000th assistance dog in the organization's history will be placed in 2016. All graduates receive their assistance dog free of charge.

REVENUE  
Contributions  
   Contributions, Gifts & Grants $18,988,607
   Federated Campaigns $0
   Membership Dues $0
   Fundraising Events $2,715,459
   Related Organizations $0
   Government Grants $0
Total Contributions $21,704,066
   Program Service Revenue $1,232,056
Total Primary Revenue $22,936,122
   Other Revenue $-811,774
TOTAL REVENUE $22,124,348
   
EXPENSES  
   Program Expenses $14,872,910
   Administrative Expenses $1,312,196
   Fundraising Expenses $5,084,097
TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES $21,269,203
   
Payments to Affiliates $0
Excess (or Deficit) for the year $855,145
   
Net Assets $53,584,689

Program names and associated costs are listed for the top programs as reported on the charity's most recently filed Form 990. The top programs displayed will include the largest three programs, or those programs covering at least 60% of the charity's total expenses, whichever comes first.

Program Name Amount Spent % of Program Expenses
Training $6,787,071 45.6%
Breeding and Puppy Raising $3,111,206 20.9%
Public Information and Local Presence $2,940,247 19.8%

Ratings History

Form 990 FYE Date Published Overall Score Overall Rating
CN 2.1
2015-12 02/01/2017 86.55 three stars
2014-12 06/01/2016 86.63 three stars
 
CN 2.0
2014-12 12/22/2015 84.88 three stars
2014-12 12/01/2015 84.62 three stars
2013-12 06/01/2015 88.55 three stars
2012-12 02/01/2014 84.24 three stars
2011-12 04/01/2013 86.39 three stars
2010-12 02/01/2012 91.04 four stars
2009-12 09/20/2011 89.19 three stars
 
CN 1.0
2009-12 12/22/2010 84.71 three stars
2008-12 12/01/2009 85.08 three stars
2007-12 04/01/2009 81.16 three stars
2006-12 05/01/2008 78.35 two stars
2005-12 10/01/2006 81.60 three stars
2004-12 10/01/2005 78.47 two stars
2003-12 09/01/2004 82.86 three stars
2002-12 10/01/2003 80.99 three stars
2001-12 10/15/2002 95.85 four stars
2000-12 04/15/2002 93.25 four stars

The data displayed on this tab is provided by the IRS in the form of Publication 78 and the Business Master File (BMF).

EIN 94-2494324
Name in IRS Master File CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE
NTEE Code P8X
NTEE Classification [Not Provided by IRS]
NTEE Type [Not Provided by IRS]
Classification Charitable Organization
Subsection 501(c)(3)  (View the list of codes)
Activities (30) School, college, trade school, etc.
Foundation Status Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public   170(b)(1)(A)(vi)
Deductibility Contributions are deductible
Affiliation Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations).
Group Name [Not Applicable]
Ruling Date February, 1979
Filing Requirement 990 (all other) or 990EZ return
Fiscal Year End December
IRS Forms 990
(provided courtesy of Foundation Center)		 (Log In or Register Now to View Forms 990!)
  • December, 2015
  • December, 2014
  • December, 2013
  • December, 2012
  • December, 2011

The data displayed in this profile is provided by the IRS for free in the form of Publication 78 and the Business Master File (BMF).

We invite you to share your opinions, thoughts, experiences, and stories about this charity here to help inform the decisions of other donors.  
Need more help getting started? Check out our FAQs.
 
This tool is not for questions about Charity Navigator, such as how we derived this charity’s rating. We will happily answer those questions if you contact us directly. Likewise, if you have questions for this charity, then we encourage you to contact the charity directly (we include the charity’s contact information in the upper left-hand corner of this page) since few charities regularly monitor this commenting tool.

Compensation % of Expenses Paid to Title
$172,611 0.81% Paul Mundell Chief Executive Officer
Other Salaries of Note
$132,707 0.62% Debra Minett-Dougherty Executive Director
$126,064 0.59% John Hudson Former Chief Executive Officer

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, Canine Companions for Independence enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Canine Companions trains four types of assistance dogs to master over 40 specialized commands: Service Dogs, Skilled Companions, Hearing Dogs and Facility Dogs. After completing training, the dogs are teamed with a graduate during an intensive two week training period (Team Training). 309 assistance dogs were placed in 2015, and the 5,000th assistance dog in the organization's history will be placed in 2016. All graduates receive their assistance dog free of charge.

Highly Rated

Charity Name & State Overall Score Overall Rating
Canine Companions for Independence (CA) 86.55 three stars
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation (CT) 96.67 four stars
Freedom Service Dogs of America (CO) 86.27 three stars
Guide Dogs for the Blind (CA) 92.64 four stars
Southeastern Guide Dogs (FL) 93.74 four stars

Compare These Charities (Highly Rated)

This charity has an official representative registered with Charity Navigator.

Charity Contact Info

Canine Companions for Independence
2965 Dutton Avenue
P.O. Box 446
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
tel: (800) 572-2275
fax: (707) 577-1712
TTY: (707) 577-1756
EIN: 94-2494324

Visit Web Site

Board Leadership

John Miller
Board Chair

CEO

Paul E. Mundell
Chief Executive Officer

please wait...

    • I want to donate to Canine Companions for Independence

      $
      next

    • Frequency

      back
      next

    • Would you like us to email someone and CC you?

      This email identifies you as the donor but does not specify the amount of your gift.
      back
    A donation of to has been added to your Giving Basket!

    Basket Total:
    Check Out Now or Continue Researching
[ X ]

Did You Know We Are a Charity, Too?

If even a third of the 7 million people who visited our site last year had donated a dollar to Charity Navigator, we would comfortably meet our annual budget and be able to do what so many of you ask us to do every day--rate more charities!

With the support of users like you, we are currently investing in staff and technology. This will allow us to improve the search and organizational features of our site, making it easier to find the information that matters most to you. We will also continue to enhance our evaluation system and metrics.

So, whether you're a first time visitor or a long time user, we ask for your help in achieving our goal. Your gift of any size is most deeply appreciated! Thank You!

With the support of users like you, we are making it easier to find the info that matters most. Thank you!

Join Our Mailing List

Join over 400,000 other informed givers and get updates on charity ratings, new features, hot topics, and tips for donating.

As seen on
Help Center