All the money raised for K.O.I. is used for operations. Koi Organisation International, Inc. is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are a corporation and we have received non-profit status. Therefore, your donations will be tax-deductable. This is primarily a volunteer organization and all the officers and the overwhelming majority of our core group are volunteers, i.e., they don’t get paid. In fact, many of them donated their own money to provide the seed capital to start K.O.I. But even a non-profit has expenses. There are web expenses, software and mailing expenses, and expenses in stocking the store. A couple of our instructors receive a small stipend for their time, while most just donate it. K.O.I. revenues in excess of expenses is used to further our mission. Starting in 2014, K.O.I., in conjunction with the World Wide Koi Club (WWKC), donated a total of 20 scholarships every year for students to become Certified Koi Keepers (CKK), working towards the goal of having at least one CKK in every state to become the resident local expert for hobbyists seeking help. Everyone here at K.O.I. loves the Koi hobby.
With appreciation for the fine KHV research previously done by others, we now believe it is time to move on to pursue immediately useful projects based on this knowledge. We would also like to sponsor other projects we believe would have significant near-term positive benefits.
Completed K.O.I. Sponsored Project
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Disinfection of Koi Show Equipment - currently being done from a K.O.I. grant to OSU - emphasis on KHV elimination. CLICK HERE to read results
Potential Future Projects
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An affordable and available commercial test for detection of latent KHV in white blood cells. This would be a project likely based on the previous work of Dr. Ling Jin et al, of OSU, who confirmed that KHV establishes latency in Koi lymphocytes. Such testing would provide breeders, dealers, hobbyists and veterinarians a much-improved way to screen Koi for KHV carrier status.
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A veterinarian-run program to help ensure that participating Koi dealers sell only healthy fish. Since not everyone has adequate quarantine facilities and access to appropriate testing, this would undoubtedly be a very valuable and widely-useful service to our hobby.
We are now soliciting donations to help fund these projects.
