About
Kessler Foundation is a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability and a global leader in rehabilitation research, headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, with a second campus in West Orange. The Foundation conducts rehabilitation and disability employment research and funds innovative initiatives that expand access to job opportunities for people with disabilities. It bears the name of Henry H. Kessler, MD, PhD, who founded the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation to help people with disabilities regain function and achieve maximum independence.
Mission
"The mission of Kessler Foundation is to improve quality of life for people with disabilities through discovery, innovation, demonstration, application, and dissemination." Its vision is to lead the way in linking science and grantsmanship so that people living with disabilities can lead more productive, independent, and fulfilling lives.
What they do
- Conducts research to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord
- Operates dedicated research centers for spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis, autism, mobility and rehabilitation engineering, neuropsychology and neuroscience, and outcomes and assessment research
- Runs specialized facilities including the Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center and the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation
- Hosts federally designated model systems for spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury in Northern New Jersey
- Publishes the nTIDE (National Trends in Disability Employment) reports and periodic employment and disability surveys through its Center for Employment and Disability Research
- Awards grants through its Center for Grantmaking, with workplace inclusion and competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities as the primary focus
Scale and impact
The Foundation describes its research impact in concrete terms: people with paralysis taking their first steps, stroke survivors regaining independence, young adults with autism building self-advocacy skills, and jobseekers and veterans with disabilities finding satisfying employment. It also states that it "leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities."
Financials
Per ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 31-1562134), Kessler Foundation reported total revenue of about 33.5 million dollars, expenses of about 34.1 million dollars, and total assets of about 283.3 million dollars for fiscal year 2023. The IRS has recognized the organization as tax-exempt since 1998.
Governance
Kessler Foundation is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Rodger DeRose and overseen by a Board of Trustees. Senior leadership includes John DeLuca, PhD, Senior Vice President for Research and Training; Elaine E. Katz, Senior Vice President of the Center for Grantmaking; and Steven Kirshblum, MD, Chief Medical Officer.