Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 06-1695275 · since 2004chnfoundation.org·Canada, United States·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$30.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation funds work that improves quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury, spanning research across the translational spectrum as well as community programmes, services, spinal cord medicine training and higher education scholarships, so organisations whose work sits outside this focus are unlikely to be a good fit.
It funds in the United States and Canada, and applicants should be qualifying nonprofit organisations working in research, spinal cord medicine training, or services for individuals and families affected by spinal cord injury.
No grant range is stated, though the Foundation paid out $30,767,549 in total grants, so look to the specific competition you are entering for a sense of likely request size rather than this overall total.
Applications run through named competitions - Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum, Creating Opportunity & Independence, and Psychosocial Research - most beginning with an online Letter of Intent through ProposalCentral, with only invited applicants going on to a Full Grant Application, making this a staged, competitive process rather than a simple rolling one.
Be ready to demonstrate scientific merit, novelty and translational potential, rigour and transparency, and, where relevant, meaningful inclusion of people with lived spinal cord injury experience, as these are the qualities the Foundation says it looks for.

Overview

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is a US private foundation based in Calabasas, CA.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Foundation dedicates its funding to programmes and scientific research intended to improve quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury. Its portfolios cover research across the translational spectrum, including studies aimed at improving function, testing treatments and advancing care, as well as research into psychological and social wellbeing and interventions after injury. It also supports nonprofit organisations providing community programmes and services that help people with spinal cord injury lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. The Foundation describes its recipients as qualifying nonprofit organisations in the United States and Canada, including scientific, charitable and educational organisations working in research, spinal cord medicine training, and services for individuals and families affected by spinal cord injury. Its approach values rigorous, creative research, collaboration and inclusion, and encourages participation by people with lived experience in research.

Themes

Spinal cord injury research
Psychosocial research
Community support services
Spinal cord medicine training
Higher education scholarships

Geographic Focus

U.S.; Canada.

How to apply

Organisations can apply through the Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum, Creating Opportunity & Independence, and Psychosocial Research grant competitions. Most competitions begin with an online Letter of Intent through ProposalCentral; applicants invited to continue submit a Full Grant Application.

Application success factors

What the foundation says:

SCIRTS studies should show novelty, scientific merit and potential for substantial impact on treatment and care; meaningful inclusion of people with lived SCI experience is encouraged.
It seeks rigorous research with translational potential across preclinical models, human subjects research and existing datasets.
It encourages meaningful participation by people with lived SCI experience in research design and execution.
It supports research conducted with rigor and transparency, and transformative programmes with significant potential to benefit people affected by spinal cord injury.

Officers and directors

Steven Kirshblum — Director
Suzy Kim — Director
Taylor Randall — Director
Phillip Popovich — Director
Gordon R Kanofsky — Trustee
Ray H Neilsen — Trustee
Robert D Brown Jr — Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$37,149,307	$30,258,339	$380,351,415	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$41,710,487	$34,777,727	$387,998,681	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$38,488,032	$30,767,549	$397,086,104	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.