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Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
Founded by casino entrepreneur Craig H. Neilsen in 2002, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation channels the family's Ameristar Casinos wealth exclusively toward...
Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
Founded by casino entrepreneur Craig H. Neilsen in 2002, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation channels the family's Ameristar Casinos wealth exclusively toward improving quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI). His son, Ray H. Neilsen, now chairs the board and co-trustees the endowment alongside former Ameristar CEO Gordon R. Kanofsky, while Executive Director Kym Eisner runs day-to-day grantmaking operations. The foundation deploys capital across four discrete portfolios: SCI research, post-doctoral and medical-student fellowships, rehabilitation and clinical training, and community-based programmatic support. Its geographic footprint concentrates on the United States and Canada. Signature commitments include the Neilsen Visionary Prize, the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems program, and the Psychosocial Research portfolio. The foundation does not make for-profit investments; all funding flows through grant disbursements overseen by its scientific advisory and review boards. Total endowment size remains undisclosed, though the foundation's grant volume — roughly several hundred awards per year — places it among the most active SCI-specific funders in North America. The board operates with just two co-trustees, an unusually lean governance structure for a foundation of its reach. Ray Neilsen also runs Neilsen and Company, a separate real estate development firm, and sits on the board of the Great City Mississippi Foundation. Its most unusual structural feature is its unbending narrowness: the foundation's entire corpus must serve a single medical condition. That vertical focus — layered onto a governance model that pairs the founder's son with a long-time business partner — creates an endowment with no mission creep and no external fundraising pressure, a rarity among private grantmaking foundations.
General information
Firm type
Endowment
Year founded
2002
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Encino
Corporate office
Encino, CA, United States
Principals
Ray H. Neilsen
Chairman of the Board and Co-Trustee
Gordon R. Kanofsky
Co-Trustee and Board Member
Kym Eisner
Executive Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who controls investment and grantmaking decisions at the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation?
The board is governed by two co-trustees: Ray H. Neilsen, son of founder Craig H. Neilsen, and Gordon R. Kanofsky, former CEO of Ameristar Casinos. Executive Director Kym Eisner manages day-to-day operations and grantmaking execution. The foundation's lean governance means these three individuals hold concentrated decision-making authority over both endowment management and the roughly several hundred grants awarded annually.
Where does the foundation's wealth originate?
The endowment was seeded by the estate of Craig Hart Neilsen, who founded Ameristar Casinos and led the company's expansion into one of the largest publicly traded casino operators in the U.S. before its 2013 acquisition by Pinnacle Entertainment. The Neilsen family fortune remains the foundation's sole funding source.
How does the foundation deploy capital — does it make equity investments or only grants?
The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is a pure grantmaking vehicle. It does not make direct equity investments, fund commitments, or venture-style bets. Its entire deployment flows through grants spanning spinal cord injury research, post-doctoral fellowships, clinical training, rehabilitation programs, and community-based independent-living initiatives across the U.S. and Canada.
Is the foundation's endowment managed internally or through external managers?
The foundation has not publicly disclosed its investment committee structure or any external manager relationships. Given its two-trustee board and lean professional staff, it is likely that asset allocation and manager selection are handled with the support of an outsourced chief investment officer or a small group of institutional consultants, but no confirmed details are available.
How is the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation related to Ameristar Casinos and Neilsen and Company?
Ameristar Casinos was the source of the wealth that funds the endowment; it was sold in 2013 and no longer has an operational connection to the foundation. Neilsen and Company is a separate real estate development firm led by Ray H. Neilsen, the foundation's chairman. The two entities operate independently, though Ray Neilsen's dual role as trustee and real estate developer creates a parallel business interest outside the grantmaking mission.
Does the foundation maintain any philanthropic structures beyond its core grant programs?
Yes. The foundation runs named programs including the Neilsen Visionary Prize, a high-visibility honor recognizing individuals who have made transformative contributions to the SCI community, and it funds the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems, a network of federally designated centers. It also supports the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) through major research awards. All activities fall under the single foundation entity.
What geographies does the foundation cover?
Grantmaking is limited to the United States and Canada. The foundation's headquarters are in Encino, California, with a mailing address in Tarzana. Despite the geographic concentration, the foundation's research grants reach academic medical centers and SCI programs across both countries.
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