A Message from Our Chief Development Officer
With the generosity of our donors, Kessler Foundation researchers are developing new therapies that help people striving to recover, regain function, and return to their homes, their communities, and the workplace.
Your Support Drives Change
When you give to Kessler Foundation, you help move research forward and transform what's possible for people with disabilities.
Employment After Spinal Cord Injury
For people living with spinal cord injury, returning to work can be one a meaningful but difficult milestones in recovery...
Peter Hersh: Life With SCI, Made Easier
Dr. Peter Hersh, who lives with a spinal cord injury, was among the first to experience transcutaneous spinal stimulation...
Small Movements. Big Wins.
After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2004, Jimmy approaches his post-injury rehabilitation with the same athletic drive he put into baseball...
Alexa Is Making Moves After SCI
At age 21, Alexa Alvarez was diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, a rare nontraumatic cause of spinal cord injury...
Bill Pastras, Why Research Matters to Me After My Stroke and TBI
In 2017, my life changed in an instant. While driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, I suddenly felt weak and lost control of my car...
Therese Bertrand, Finding My Way Forward With Multiple Sclerosis
A phone call changed Therese Bertrand's life. It brought a diagnosis she had never expected...
Suzanne Cliff's Journey After Stroke
Suzanne had always been a take-charge kind of person. That all changed after her stroke...
Rafael Torres, Finding Hope After SCI
Almost 20 years ago, Rafael's life changed in an instant. He woke up in the hospital and learned he was paralyzed from the waist down.
Pastora Goldner, A Mother’s Day Reflection
Over thirty years ago, Pastora was involved in a devastating car accident in the middle of the desert. She has lived with a spinal cord injury ever since.
Angela Pennella, It's Never Too Late to Learn After TBI
Angela Pennella was on her way home when a driver crossed into her lane and struck her car head-on. She sustained extensive injuries, including a traumatic brain injury...
Interview Skills Boost Holly Coviello's Confidence Despite Autism
For 18-year-old Holly Coviello and her mother, the typical questions about finding employment have loomed large. Holly is autistic.
Victor Pena Keeps Life Sporty After SCI
“I’m passionate about sports,” says Victor Pena, who lives with SCI. “Staying active improves my physical and mental health.”
Every breakthrough at Kessler Foundation is made possible through philanthropic support. Your generosity helps researchers translate promising ideas from the laboratory into real‑world solutions that improve mobility, cognition, community engagement, and quality of life. Your support advances evidence‑based rehabilitation, improves outcomes, and reduces barriers to independence and inclusion, today and for generations to come.
Your generosity fuels progress at every stage of discovery, supporting access to research, advancing science, and accelerating breakthroughs that improve life for people with disabilities. Every gift, at every level, helps move research forward and brings us closer to solutions that matter.
Help people take part in life‑changing studies.
- $25 provides meals for a participant enrolled in an all‑day study
- $50 covers a participant stipend for one research session
- $100 provides transportation to and from a study visit
Ensure studies are inclusive, ethical, and people‑centered.
- $250 underwrites a neuropsychological evaluation
- $500 supports recruitment of research participants
- $1,000 funds required Institutional Review Board (IRB) renewal to protect participants
Power the tools and technologies that move research forward.
- $2,500 underwrites a functional MRI scan and analysis
- $5,000 sponsors a participant in studies improving quality of life after stroke or spinal cord injury
- $10,000 supports advanced research using regenerative rehabilitation and robotic technologies
Launch bold ideas and shape the future of rehabilitation research.
- $25,000 funds a pilot study to test new, innovative research approaches
- $50,000 expands a high‑impact study exploring recovery, mobility, or cognition
- $100,000+ drives transformational research initiatives with the potential to change clinical practice and lives
Every gift, at every level, moves research forward.
With an annual gift of $500 or more, you become a member of the Kessler Society. As a member, you'll provide the sustained support needed to pursue bold research questions and accelerate discovery, upholding the distinguished legacy of Henry H. Kessler, MD, PhD, who founded Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation after serving in World War II.
Support the Foundation’s core research efforts and help promising ideas move forward.
Strengthen key stages of rehabilitation research and help translate innovation into practice.
Advance studies that improve quality of life after neurological injury or disease.
Enable bold research initiatives that expand what is possible in rehabilitation science.
Provide visionary support for Kessler Foundation’s most ambitious research efforts.
Make transformative investments that shape the future of rehabilitation research.
Rehabilitation is the precious gift of hope translated into action.
In addition to making an immediate gift, you may also choose to support Kessler Foundation through legacy giving, creating a lasting investment in research that improves lives for generations to come.
Planned gifts can be made at any stage of life and often provide important financial and tax benefits.
Support Kessler Foundation on your own time, from anywhere, and turn your passion into positive change. Share your commitment with friends and family by launching a personal fundraiser. Spread the word on social media using #KesslerFoundation and #KesslerChangesLives.
Our Development Team, Here to Help
Our Development Team, Here to Help
Turning generosity into real-world outcomes, together
FAQs
About Making a Gift to Kessler Foundation
Your gift directly funds rehabilitation research that improves recovery, restores function, and increases independence for people with disabilities. Your support advances studies in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism, turning scientific discovery into real-world impact.
Kessler Foundation conducts innovative rehabilitation research focused on how the brain and body recover after injury or illness. Research areas include cognitive rehabilitation, mobility and gait recovery, neurotechnology and robotics, regenerative rehabilitation, and community participation.
Yes. Kessler Foundation shares donor impact through annual reports, research updates, and ongoing communications. These resources show how philanthropy accelerates discovery and improves quality of life for people with disabilities.
Donations support research participants, study operations, advanced imaging, and the ethical oversight required to conduct responsible research. Every gift helps move studies forward safely, efficiently, and with measurable outcomes.
Yes. Many donors choose to designate their gift to a specific research initiative or program area. The Development Team can help align your philanthropic goals with current opportunities.
The Kessler Society is a community of donors who give $500 or more annually to advance rehabilitation research. Members honor the legacy of Henry H. Kessler, MD, PhD, and play a vital role in sustaining life‑changing discovery.
Kessler Society membership is based on annual giving:
- Member: $500 to $999
- Sponsor: $1,000 to $4,999
- Patron: $5,000 to $9,999
- Benefactor: $10,000 to $24,999
- Ambassador: $25,000 to $99,999
- Champion: $100,000 or more
Each level reflects a deep commitment to advancing rehabilitation research.
Yes. Kessler Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You will receive a receipt for your records.
Legacy giving allows you to support future breakthroughs through thoughtful estate planning. It is available to donors of any age and often costs nothing during your lifetime while providing meaningful long‑term impact.
Learn about legacy giving options
Common legacy gifts include bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and endowed funds. These options support research while offering potential financial and tax benefits.
Yes. You can create a personal fundraiser to support Kessler Foundation and share your commitment with friends and family. Fundraising is a powerful way to expand awareness and accelerate research progress.
Internal link :
Start a fundraiser → /fundraise-for-us
The Development Team is available to help with questions about making a gift, joining the Kessler Society, or planning a legacy gift.
You can still make a difference by learning more about our research, joining a study, sharing our mission, and exploring future giving opportunities when the time is right.
Yes. Many employers offer matching gift programs that can double, or even triple, the impact of your donation. Ask your employer for information about their giving policies.
