Fondation MIRA is a 1-star rated charity. It is not financially transparent and has a below average results reporting grade. Its overhead costs are within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has $11.0m in reserve funds, which can cover three years and three months of annual program costs.

Founded in 1981, Fondation MIRA (MIRA) offers free guide dogs to people living with disabilities. By providing handicapped people with a guide dog, MIRA hopes to increase their autonomy and mobility. The people MIRA helps fall into three different categories: blind and visually impaired, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and people with reduced mobility. The charity does not provide a breakdown of its program spending on these categories.

Since its establishment, MIRA has offered more than 3,700 dogs to people with disabilities. MIRA reports creating 200 dog-owner pairings each year. The dogs remain in service for an average of seven years. The charity reports that the average cost to raise and train a MIRA dog is $30k.

A MIRA dog spends its first year and a half with a foster family before being brought back to the training facilities. The charity reports it currently has 350 families caring for puppies. Trainers then assess whether the dog satisfies the intellectual and physical requirements to become a guide dog. MIRA states that 300 puppies are born in its facilities each year and 60-70% of them are trained. The remaining dogs are offered to their foster family or to the public in exchange for a donation. Dog training varies between five to eight months. Once a dog has been paired with an owner, the pair undergo another week to four weeks of training.

MIRA breeds Labradors, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Labernese, and Saint-Pierres on site. The Labernese is a cross between the Labrador and the Bernese Mountain dog and was created by MIRA’s Founder, Éric St-Pierre. The Saint-Pierre is a second generation Labernese.

Note: Ci adjusted for deferred revenue, affecting revenue by $57k in F2021, $153k in F2020 and nil in F2019. Ci recognized interest income and net change in fair value of investments as revenue, affecting total revenue by $401k in F2021, $144k in F2020, and $191k in F2019. Ci removed amortization of deferred contributions related to tangible capital assets from revenues, reducing total revenue by $160k in F2021, $192k in F2020, and $165k in F2019. Ci did not include gain on sale of tangible assests, included as an expense item in MIRA's F2019 audited financial statements, in expenses. This reduced expenses by $6k in F2019.