Children's Hemiplegia & Stroke Association

What Children's Hemiplegia & Stroke Association does

Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1996 by Nancy Atwood and other parents of children with hemiplegia. Headquartered at a mailing address in Arlington, Texas, the organization provides information, peer support, and financial assistance to families of children, teens, and adults affected by hemiplegia, hemiparesis, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, or pediatric stroke. CHASA runs a portfolio of programs including Let's Play activity scholarships (65 awarded in 2024), college and vocational scholarships (issued annually since 2002), orthotic grants for braces, athletic scholarships, a Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Shoe Exchange, and annual family, moms, and young adult retreats. Community support is delivered through 30+ online discussion groups and the HemiKids Listserv with over 5,000 members, alongside specialty Facebook groups for young adults, parents of teens, homeschooling families, and a careers/networking group.

CHASA operates as a donation-funded nonprofit with no products or services sold. Revenue streams consist of individual donations (PayPal, checks, employer-matched giving) and passive affiliate revenue from the AmazonSmile program (0.5% of eligible purchases). Distribution is hybrid: digital-first via the chasa.org website, email, and Facebook communities; supplemented by annual in-person retreats, local volunteer-led support groups, and healthcare-provider referrals from therapy clinics and early intervention teams. The organization co-sponsors international pediatric stroke symposiums with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Office of Rare Diseases Research, and the Child Neurology Society, and supports patient recruitment for academic research at Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine and the University of Minnesota's Gillick Pediatric Laboratory. Several programs (Orthotic Grants, Athletic Scholarships, Family Retreats) are currently inactive, and the Kandu mascot and Think Big Grants programs have been retired.

CHASA holds no proprietary technology, offers no API or SDK, and has no disclosed headcount or financials. The organization markets its programs through Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month each May and operates under sub-brands including Hemi-Kids, Kids Have Strokes, Streak for Pediatric Stroke, and Strikes for Pediatric Stroke. It has no parent company, no external equity backers, and no disclosed mergers or acquisitions.

Name

Children's Hemiplegia & Stroke Association

Legal name

Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association

Website

https://chasa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CHASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that provides peer support, scholarships, orthotic grants, retreats, and online community programs to families and individuals affected by pediatric hemiplegia and stroke in the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Pediatric stroke support
• Hemiplegia nonprofit services
• Disability community programs
• Orthotic grant assistance
• Special needs scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CHASA receives donations from individuals through PayPal, checks, and company matching programs. Donations fund orthotic grants, scholarships, retreat scholarships, and operational costs.
2. AmazonSmile Program: Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to CHASA at no additional cost to donors.
3. Corporate Matching: CHASA accepts employer-matched donations through their 501(c)(3) status.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides peer support, financial assistance, and educational resources to families and individuals affected by hemiplegia, hemiparesis, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, and pediatric stroke. Core deliverables include scholarships for extracurricular activities, college and vocational education, and athletics; orthotic grants for foot and hand braces; a shoe exchange program; annual family and moms' retreats; and online support communities. All programs are offered at no cost to qualifying families and are funded through individual donations, corporate matching, and AmazonSmile contributions.

Product overview

CHASA operates as a nonprofit support organization offering a portfolio of programs and services for children, teens, and adults affected by hemiplegia and pediatric stroke. The core offerings include scholarship programs: Let's Play Activity Scholarships for extracurricular activities, Educational Scholarships for college and vocational school (awarded since 2002), and Athletic Scholarships for competitive sports. Financial assistance is provided through Orthotic Grants for braces and Shoe Exchange Program for mismatched footwear. Community support includes Facebook groups with over 5,000 members, the HemiKids Listserv, and annual Family Retreats. The organization also runs Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month (May) and has retired programs including Think Big Grants and the Kandu mascot. All programs serve individuals with hemiplegia, hemiparesis, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, or pediatric stroke diagnoses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Let's Play Activity Scholarships Scholarship program providing financial assistance for children, teens, and adults with hemiplegia to participate in extracurricular activities such as art class, theater, sports, dance, and cooking. Awards are available for activities held January through August 2026, with 65 scholarships awarded in 2024.
• Educational Scholarships (College and Vocational) Annual college and vocational school scholarships awarded to students with a diagnosis of hemiplegia, hemiparesis, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, or pediatric stroke. Scholarships have been awarded annually since 2002, with an application deadline of August 31st and notifications by October 31st.
• Athletic Scholarships Scholarships supporting young athletes with hemiplegia for registration fees and competition needs. The program helps cover entrance fees for amateur athletic competitions including Junior Nationals and Desert Challenge. (Program currently not active, with watch for future offerings.)
• Orthotic Grants Financial assistance program to help families purchase orthotics (foot and hand braces) for children with hemiplegia when not covered by health benefit plans. Eligibility required diagnosis of hemiplegia or hemiparesis, age 17 or younger, with onset before age 3. (Program currently not active.)
• CHASA Family Retreat Annual retreat for families of children with hemiplegia featuring support, information sharing, and recreational activities. Scholarships are available to help families attend. (2020 retreat cancelled due to pandemic; watch for future retreats.)
• CHASA Retreat for Moms Extended weekend retreat launched in 2019 providing relaxation, fun, and peer support for mothers of children with hemiplegia. No work, school, family, or therapy demands during the retreat. Watch for dates for next retreat.
• Online Support Groups (Facebook) CHASA Facebook groups including the main CHASA Facebook Page, specialty groups for Young Adults Living with Hemiplegia Since Childhood, Parents of Teens and Young Adults, Homeschooling CHASA Kids, Shoe Exchange, Careers & Networking, and others. Over 5,000 members across 30+ online discussion groups.
• Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month Annual awareness campaign observed in May (Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month) to increase awareness that kids have strokes. Includes fact sheets, awareness materials, events, and advocacy resources. CHASA founded Pediatric Stroke Awareness Day in 2002, expanded to Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month in 2010.
• Shoe Exchange Program (Find Your Sole Mate) Program helping families exchange shoes for children and adults with hemiplegic cerebral palsy who need two different sizes of shoes. Facilitates matching individuals with opposite foot size needs to exchange shoes.
• HemiKids Listserv Email discussion group started in 1996 serving thousands of parents (mostly mothers) of children with hemiplegia or hemiparesis. Discussions cover therapy, education, behavioral issues, and daily challenges. The listserv is closed to new members; current members continue to use it.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65 children received Let's Play scholarships in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHASA partnered with NINDS to co-sponsor an international symposium where pediatric stroke researchers and pediatric neurologists could gather to discuss current developments and future directions in pediatric stroke research.
• Office of Rare Diseases ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHASA co-sponsored an international symposium with the Office of Rare Diseases Research to bring together researchers and clinicians in the field of pediatric stroke.
• Child Neurology SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHASA partnered with the Child Neurology Society to co-sponsor an international symposium for pediatric stroke researchers and neurologists to discuss research developments and future directions.
• Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHASA teamed with researchers to recruit participants for a study exploring motivators and barriers for participation in cerebral palsy related research. The study aims to understand how to make future research studies more convenient for participants.
• Gillick Pediatric Laboratory (University of Minnesota)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHASA supports research recruiting babies between 3-12 months with stroke or bleeding in the brain. The study uses brain imaging and stimulation to understand how the brain continues to develop after pediatric stroke.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pediatric Stroke Network: Online community and resource network for families affected by pediatric stroke. Directly comparable peer in peer-support and information-sharing model for the same beneficiary population.
• Children's Stroke Foundation: Pediatric stroke support and advocacy organization serving affected children and families. Comparable mission, beneficiary population, and nonprofit operating model to CHASA.
• International Alliance for Pediatric Stroke: A pediatric stroke-focused nonprofit that overlaps directly with CHASA's mission, including awareness, family support, and research collaboration. Direct peer in serving the same narrow patient and family community.

Emerging players

• Sibling Support Project: Small nonprofit focused on sibling support for children affected by disability and chronic conditions. Adjacent peer in providing community-based peer support to families navigating pediatric disability.

Broad incumbents

• United Cerebral Palsy: Large established nonprofit serving the broader cerebral palsy community, including hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Overlaps on beneficiary population and disability advocacy but operates at significantly greater scale across a wider condition scope.
• March of Dimes: Large maternal and child health nonprofit addressing birth outcomes including stroke-related conditions. Comparable in serving families affected by perinatal and pediatric health events, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Cerebral Palsy Foundation: National nonprofit focused on cerebral palsy research, education, and advocacy. Comparable in CP-related family support and research partnerships, though broader in scope than CHASA's hemiplegia focus.
• American Stroke Association (American Heart Association): Major stroke-focused nonprofit that addresses stroke broadly, including pediatric stroke awareness. Comparable in awareness-campaign and patient-education mission but operates across all ages and stroke types.
• National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): Umbrella rare-disease advocacy and patient-support organization that supports condition-specific nonprofits like CHASA through grants, advocacy, and shared infrastructure. Comparable as a sector peer in the disease-focused nonprofit ecosystem.

Regional players

• HemiHelp (now part of Contact): UK-based organization historically focused on hemiplegia support for children and families. Direct functional peer in hemiplegia-specific family support, now operating under a broader UK disability services umbrella.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KidsHaveStrokes
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children's Hemiplegia & Stroke Association