Center for Public Representation (CPR)

The Center for Public Representation (CPR) is a nonprofit organization focused on expanding the rights of disabled individuals through advocacy, legal actions, and policy reform at the state and national levels. 1 Focus areas include the reduction of segregated facilities for the disabled and their integration into the community, elimination of segregated employment practices, elimination of all involuntary treatment to disabled individuals, alternatives to guardianship, and other practices that CPR considers to be discriminatory to the disabled.

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Healthcare Policy
Website: www.centerforpublicrep.org
Founded:

1982

Executive Director:

Cathy Costanzo

Location: Northampton, MA View on map
Tax ID: 04-2760470
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $17,520,094 Revenue: $3,464,100 Expenses: $2,380,510

Contents

    Background

    The Center for Public Representation (CPR) was incorporated in 1982 as a legal advocacy center for people with disabilities. 2 Since 1982 CPR has participated in litigation and advocacy supporting the integration and full participation of people with disabilities into the community. 3 Specialty areas include health care policy, community integration, employment policy, and disability rights. 4

    Advocacy

    Center for Public Representation advocates for bills that will eliminate the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities and will encourage integrated employment. 5

    In 2021, CPR was part of a coalition with American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that sent a letter to President Biden supporting the elimination of federal funding for police in schools, indicating that it creates discrimination and criminalization of youth, including those with disabilities. 6

    CPR partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several other organizations to participate in hearings by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution concerning problems associated with guardianship and to explore “supported decision-making” as an alternative. 7 Supported decision-making is an alternative to guardianship for individuals with disabilities that would allow disabled individuals to choose people they know and trust to be part of a formal support network to help them with their decision-making rather than make decisions for them. 8

    During the COVID-19 crisis, CPR joined with civil rights groups to address discrimination toward disabled individuals associated with crisis standards of care at federal, state, and local levels. 9 CPR has advocated for every relief bill that has passed since the start of COVID-19 including the American Rescue Plan Act which included funding for home and community-based services for the disabled as an alternative to nursing homes and other group settings. 10

    Litigation

    Center for Public Representation litigates for individuals with disabilities and files class action lawsuits to fight alleged unequal treatment of those with disabilities. In October 2022, CPR filed a class action lawsuit against Massachusetts to stop the institutionalization of people with disabilities, indicating that the state has failed to provide community residential services that would enable integration into the community. 11

    In January 2022, CPR’s class action lawsuit against North Carolina to provide employment services to the disabled and eliminate segregated workshops and employment programs was settled. 12

    Funding

    Tax returns for the year 2021 for Center for Public Representation report $2,714,409 in revenue and $2,238,762 in expenses. 13 Of that total revenue, 10.5 percent was paid in executive salaries and 61.8 percent of revenue was paid in staff wages and compensation. 14

    The Van Ameringen Foundation donated to CPR in 2019 and 2020. 15 Van Ameringen Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that focuses on advocacy and treatment of mental health. 16

    American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) donated to CPR in 2020. 15 ANCOR is an advocacy organization that represents providers of services to people with disabilities. 17

    Additional donors included Foundation for Justice, Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corp., National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Foundation, Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, WITH Foundation, 15 and Massachusetts Health Decisions. 18

    Leadership

    As of 2022, Cathy Costanzo was the executive director of Center for Public Representation and has been with the organization since 2005. 19

    Robert Aglogia is board president of CPR. He is retired from a career in government and nonprofit leadership positions focused on supporting mental health and disabilities issues. 20

    Richard Dubois is a board member of CPR and is also executive director of National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) 20 which advocates for left-of-center solutions to consumer related issues through advocacy and litigation. Examples include support for the formation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 21 and the cancellation of student debt. 22

    William Kellibrew is a board member of CPR and is also board director of the William Kellibrew Foundation 20 which works to address domestic violence and sexual assault. 23

    Clarence Sundram is a board member of CPR. 20 He is also an independent reviewer of a settlement of a class action lawsuit that requires the state of New York to create at least 2,000 supported housing beds for adult home residents with mental illnesses. 24

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $17,520,094 $3,464,100 $2,380,510 View
    2024 $15,572,168 $3,290,856 $2,492,326 View
    2023 $13,974,829 $1,092,557 $2,468,656 View
    2022 $14,098,318 $3,958,270 $2,204,812 View
    2021 $16,414,207 $2,714,409 $2,238,762 View
    2020 $13,391,052 $2,182,706 $2,266,577 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 16

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Cathy CostanzoEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR$260,524
    Steven SchwartzLITIGATION DIRECTOR$229,567
    Mona IgramATTORNEY -SUPPORTED DECISI$192,174
    Kathryn RuckerMANAGING ATTORNEY$182,536
    Lila Shane MereschukDIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPER$171,406

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $10,761,064
    • Number of Grants: 71
    • Number of Funders: 20

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $823,6152025 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
    $771,1252023 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
    $734,2702024 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
    $549,5752022 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
    $459,5402021 The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower FoundationThe Rosie D. Preservation Project. The court recently ended its oversight of the Rosie D. case that overhauled the children’s mental health system in Massachusetts. Our safeguards project will ensure that the reforms of the case are maintained, and that kids with SED and ASD receive needed supports.
    $454,6202021 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
    $450,0002025 Civis FoundationRenewed funding for a Massachusetts legal advocacy center to protect the federal rights of people with mental health disabilities
    $402,7182020 Massachusetts Legal Assistance CorpTo provide financial support for legal assistance programs
    $300,6752025 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $300,6752023 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $300,2752024 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $261,6402025 The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower FoundationCHARITABLE
    $201,0502022 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $160,0002021 Foundation to Promote Open Societyto provide general support
    $100,0002020 van Ameringen Foundation IncTO ENHANCE THE ORGANIZATIONS ADVOCACY CAPACITY, GALVANIZE THE DISABILITY RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND PROTECT MENTAL HEALTH PARITY GAINED UNDER THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
    $75,0002020 Foundation to Promote Open Societyto provide general support
    $71,3552024 The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower FoundationCHARITABLE
    $30,0002025 Foundation for Justice IncTO PROMOTE THE INTEGRATION AND FULL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ALL OTHERS WHO ARE DEVALUED IN TODAY'S SOCIETY.
    $25,0002021 WITH FoundationCOVID-19 Response (2nd round)
    $18,5002023 Foundation for Justice IncTO SUPPORT THE ENFORCEMENT AND EXPANDING OF RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND OTHERS WHO ARE IN SEGREGATED SETTINGS BY THE USE OF LEGAL STRATEGIES, ADVOCACY AND POLICY TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT SYSTEMIC REFORM INITIATIVES FOR THE PROMOTION OF THEIR INTEGRATION AND FULL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.
    $18,0002020 National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Foundation IncNursing Facility Systemic Litigation in Time of COVID-19
    $10,0002021 The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower FoundationCOVID-19 Response Grant
    $7,5002025 Association for Behavioral Healthcare IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $5002023 COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTSNon-competitive grant

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Mission Statement.” Center for Public Representation – About. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/mission-statement/
    2. Center for Public Representation. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/
    3. “Mission Statement.” Center for Public Representation – About. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/mission-statement/
    4. LinkedIn – Center for Public Representation. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/company/cprinc/about/
    5. “Advocacy.” Center for Public Representation – Our Work. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/advocacy/
    6. “CPR Joins Coalition with ACLU in Letter to President Biden.” Center for Public Representation – News. February 25, 2021. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/news/cpr-joins-coalition-with-aclu-in-letter-to-president-biden/
    7. “CPR Calls for Critical Reforms to Advance Supported Decision-Making.” Center for Public Representation – News. November 3, 2021. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/news/cpr-calls-for-critical-reforms-to-advance-supported-decision-making/
    8. “About Supported Decision-Making.” Supported Decision-Making homepage. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://supporteddecisions.org/about-supported-decision-making/
    9. “COVID-19 Medical Rationing and Facility Visitation Policies.” Center for Public Representation – COVID-19. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/covid-19-medical-rationing/
    10. “COVID-19 Legislation.” Center for Public Representation – COVID-19. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://medicaid.publicrep.org/feature/covid-19-legislation/#covid-5-bills
    11. “ADA Class Action Seeks to Compel Massachusetts to Stop Unnecessary Institutionalization of People with Disabilities.” Center for Public Representation – News. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/news/ada-class-action-seeks-to-compel-massachusetts-to-stop-unnecessary-institutionalization-of-people-with-disabilities/
    12. “CPR Secures Settlement Agreement in North Carolina to End Segregated Employment.” Center for Public Representation – News. January 20, 2022. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/news/cpr-secures-settlement-agreement-in-north-carolina-to-end-segregated-employment/
    13. Center for Public Representation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part I). 2021.
    14. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Center for Public Representation. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/42760470
    15. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Center for Public Representation. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=center+for+public+representation
    16. Van Ameringen Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.vanamfound.org/
    17. “Our Priorities.” Ancor – Advocacy. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.ancor.org/advocacy/
    18. Cause IQ – Center for Public Representation. Accessed December 22, 2022. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/center-for-public-representation,042760470/
    19. LinkedIn – Cathy Costanzo. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-costanzo-7b430717/
    20. “Board of Directors.” Center for Public Representation – About. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.centerforpublicrep.org/board-of-directors/
    21. “Accomplishments.” National Consumer Law Center – About Us. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.nclc.org/about-us/accomplishments/
    22. “President Biden’s Order Canceling Federal Student Loan Debt Will Bring Transformational Relief to Millions.” National Consumer Law Center Press Release. August 24, 2022. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.nclc.org/president-bidens-order-canceling-federal-student-loan-debt-will-bring-transformational-relief-to-millions/
    23. William Kellibrew Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2022. http://williamkellibrewfoundation.roundtablelive.org/
    24. LinkedIn – Clarence Sundram. Accessed December 17, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarence-sundram-79a7056/