A Message from Maggie Goldberg, CEO & President
In 2024, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation celebrated a milestone we’ve spent decades fighting for: the first-ever FDA-approved treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI).
Reeve has long sought to redefine what is possible for people living with paralysis, beginning with the pursuit of meaningful therapies and treatments. We’ve scoured the globe for research with the potential to transform the field. One such discovery, electrical stimulation, was identified by Reeve in the early 2000s and the Foundation later became the first major nonprofit investor in this promising therapy for arm and hand function — the very treatment that just made history.
It is a moment to savor, and a reminder of the urgency of our work; today’s efforts yield tomorrow’s triumphs.
In 2024, the Reeve Foundation committed to several new, high-risk, high-reward trials aimed at accelerating breakthroughs, including grants awarded to .NeuroRestore to study how electrical stimulation might affect bladder control and whether brain-computer interface technology can reverse upper limb paralysis. Another award supports PsychoGenics’ development of an in-house standardized testing model for therapeutics, helping build the infrastructure needed for sustained clinical success. Additionally, and with input from our community, the Foundation announced a new study that aims to revolutionize bladder management for individuals with SCI using a cutting-edge, portable ultrasound device that enables monitoring of bladder volume at home, potentially mitigating the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). We also continued our long support for the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) and our funding to create greater scientific data transparency throughout the SCI field.
Reeve worked throughout the year to strengthen collaboration across the field, hosting researchers and industry leaders at the 2nd Annual SCI Investor Symposium, co-presented with Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. The Foundation also announced the launch of SCI Ventures, the world’s first philanthropic venture fund dedicated to catalyzing the funding and commercialization of innovative treatments for SCI, co-founded in a unique partnership between the Reeve Foundation and leading global spinal cord injury organizations. Both efforts aim to bridge the gap from bench to bedside.
Yet even as we focused on the development and delivery of life-changing treatments, the Reeve Foundation remained equally dedicated to improving lives in the here and now.
Last year, our Quality of Life Grants Program, part of the Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC), awarded more than $3.3 million to 112 organizations across the country. These grants funded projects such as the construction of an accessible playground in Crescent Springs, Kentucky; new peer support groups in Belton, Texas; and aquatics programs for veterans in Long Beach, California.
We also partnered with the National Parks Service to spotlight the nation’s waterways in our Outdoors for Everyone initiative and led advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., to protect the rights of air travelers living with paralysis.
We grew our own services, too, launching a new live chat to provide immediate online access to NPRC Information Specialists; expanding our resource library to cover topics such as pregnancy and assistive technology; and publishing the 6th edition of the Paralysis Resource Guide with extensive updates on pediatric paralysis, research, and caregiving.
The progress of this year — and of these decades — is real, but so are the challenges that remain. Our work continues, undeterred. Day by day, we’ll build a future defined by possibilities. We hope you’ll join us as we do.
Twenty years after Christopher Reeve’s passing, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story brings SCI to the global spotlight — a level of visibility too often denied to those living with disabilities — while offering a deeper look at the ambitions and complexities that defined Reeve’s life.
Though the world knew him as Superman, those closest to him remember a man who was so much more. He was an athlete, an advocate, a husband, a father — and a tireless champion for SCI research. The film doesn’t shy away from the full scope of his life, balancing his remarkable achievements with the unflinching realities of his personal struggles, including his relentless pursuit of medical breakthroughs.
“We wanted whoever made this to create a 360-degree portrait of a human who was incredible and flawed, who was heroic and brave, who had fears and worries,” says Matthew Reeve, a member of the Reeve Foundation Board of Directors.
Yet, Super/Man isn’t just a retrospective — it’s a call to action. As the film garnered critical and commercial acclaim, it also sparked meaningful conversations about disability and the ongoing fight for progress. For the Reeve family and the Foundation, that dialogue is a testament to Christopher’s enduring impact.
“The Reeve Foundation is a central element of my parents’ legacy,” Will Reeve, also a Board member, says. “My siblings and I were intent on showing the good work that the Foundation did during my parents’ lifetimes, has done since their deaths, and will continue to do as far into the future as it needs to exist.”
From personal tragedy to national advocacy, Christopher and Dana Reeve’s mission continues. In recognition of their legacy and the vital work that lies ahead, Warner Bros. Discovery has made a generous donation to support the Reeve Foundation — helping to carry forward the vision of a world in which spinal cord injury does not result in paralysis and paralysis does not result in diminished quality of life.
