For Foundations & Institutional Funders

Eighty years of impact.
Built for the next eighty.

A grant to United Spinal Association reaches the largest community of wheelchair users in the country through support programs grounded in lived experience and advocacy initiatives at the local, state and national levels.

group of people having fun at a community event

For Foundations & Institutional Funders

Eighty years of impact.
Built for the next eighty.

A grant to United Spinal Association reaches 70,000 wheelchair users through advocacy that shapes federal and state law, support programs grounded in lived experience, and the largest community of wheelchair users in the country.

80

Years building community and advancing civil rights for wheelchair users

2,700

Members supported by our resource center annually

450+

Peer mentors bringing knowledge to the newly injured

200+

Congressional meetings led by registered advocates

man and woman wheelchair users holding signs at a demonstration

WHO WE ARE & WHY IT MATTERS

A trusted national partner for foundations investing in the disability community.

United Spinal Association was founded in 1946 by paralyzed World War II veterans determined to build the support system they needed and couldn’t find. Eighty years later, we are the leading national membership organization for people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) and all wheelchair users — disability-led at every level, from our staff, to our board, our chapter leadership and our peer mentors.

We have the operational track record of an eight-decade-old institution, legal victories that have shaped accessibility in America, a policy arm with deep federal experience and a nationwide network of community advocates, and the trust of a membership community no other disability nonprofit can match. When a foundation invests in United Spinal, it is investing in infrastructure that has delivered for the disability community through every administration, every economic cycle, and every civil rights transformation in America since 1946 — and that is built to keep delivering for the next eight decades.

Areas of investment

Where foundation funding produces the most impact.

Five program areas anchor our work. Foundations typically fund one or two; some establish multi-year general operating relationships across all five.

Community Programs

We reach members through every stages of life as a wheelchair user with: free peer mentoring and support groups, a human-staffed Resource Center, New Mobility magazine, and chapter-level community programming. Our support programs have infrastructure that is ready to scale with new funding.

40+ local chapters delivering peer programs nationally

Accessibility

Building an accessible world means more than ramps and door widths. United Spinal’s accessibility work spans the built environment, transportation systems, and the technologies wheelchair users rely on every day — pushing the standards, products and public spaces that determine who can fully participate in our communities.

$1.5 billion secured to improve NYC street corners

Health Equity

The disability community is chronically underserved in healthcare — with major gaps in clinician knowledge, accessible care environments, and equipment access. United Spinal’s health equity work attacks all three: clinician awareness through our 100+ rehab-hospital network; healthcare accessibility through advocacy on accessible diagnostic equipment and inclusive care environments; and federal policy on durable medical equipment, reimbursement and competitive bidding. We also empower wheelchair users to advocate for the care they need.

100+ member hospital network

Disaster Preparedness & Recovery

Wheelchair users face disproportionate risk during and after natural disasters. Through our Ready to Roll program, we help our community with preparedness and planning and deliver recovery support after the fact. Whether, it’s home repairs after flooding, replacement accessible housing after hurricanes, medical coordination after wildfires, and power reliability equipment for individuals with complex medical needs, United Spinal is ready to help our members access what they need.

$470K distributed in 2025

Advocacy, Policy & Public Affairs

Eighty years of federal and state policy work — alongside legal victories that have transformed physical and transit accessibility — have made United Spinal one of the most influential disability-rights voices in the country. We helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act, secured passage of historic accessible-air-travel reform in the 113th Congress, and continue to push transportation accessibility as a core advocacy pillar. We mobilize 2,800 trained member-advocates to engage Congress and statehouses every year.

2,800 advocates engaged in federal & state action

Our reach

A national investment, delivered locally.

Our 40+ chapters span every region of the United States. Foundation funding flows through national infrastructure and lands in local communities — urban, suburban and rural.