The Eagles Autism Foundation has announced that 53 projects specializing in cutting-edge autism research and care will receive $8.1 million in funding. The grants are a direct result of the proceeds raised by participants from the 2024 Eagles Autism Challenge, in addition to other foundation-related fundraising initiatives throughout the year. Since 2018, 169 research projects and community grants have funded by the Eagles Autism Foundation.
Eagles Autism Foundation Executive Director Ryan Hammond and Kylie Kelce made the special announcement live on Good Morning America.
A total of 112 letters of intent were submitted for research grant funding in 2024. The projects were narrowed down to 46 full proposals that went through a comprehensive evaluation process. Each project was carefully reviewed by an independent team of scientists who have demonstrated a clear and steadfast commitment to autism research, services, and programs. It was then determined that 22 projects would be awarded to institutions conducting cutting-edge autism research and care worldwide. Of the 22 grants, five have been awarded to international research facilities, while two have been designated as post-doctoral fellowships.
The approved research projects spanned the range of building on current ongoing and effective programs to topics and approaches that were novel, exploratory, and innovative. The community grants were distributed to projects that proved to be evidence-based, were aligned with the Eagles Autism Foundation mission, and provided an immediate need in the community.
"This year's scientific review process was one of the most competitive evaluations we ever had," said Jeffrey Lurie, Chairman and CEO, Philadelphia Eagles. "The number of submissions we received in such a short period of time speaks to how much the field of autism research and care has evolved. For far too long, autism was misunderstood, underfunded, and under researched. While there is still more work to be done, we are now seeing autism being prioritized at the highest level by some of the most recognized institutions around the world. We thank this year's recipients for their support of the autism community and hope their groundbreaking work inspires others to follow in their footsteps."
| Grant Funding Recipients |
|---|
| A.J. Drexel Autism Institute |
| Boston Children’s Hospital |
| Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia |
| Emory University |
| Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
| Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Ottawa Hospital Research Institute |
| Universidade Federal de São Paulo |
| University of California San Francisco |
| University of Connecticut School of Medicine |
| University of Michigan |
| University of Ottawa |
| University of Pennsylvania |
| University of São Paulo |
| Washington University School of Medicine |
| Community Grant Recipients |
|---|
| ACEing Autism |
| American Red Cross |
| A Step Up Academy |
| Autism R.E.C. |
| Bancroft |
| Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia |
| Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia |
| Comprehensive Learning Center |
| Easterseals Southeastern Pennsylvania |
| EmpowerU Specialty Fitness |
| Father Bill Atkinson Service Corps |
| Goldey-Beacom College |
| Institute for Behavior Change |
| Intercommunity Action |
| Joe Hand Boxing Gym |
| Joseph E. Johnson Jr. School |
| Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support |
| KultureCity Barefoot Country Music Fest |
| Neurodiversity Employment Network |
| Office for People with Disabilities (City of Philadelphia) |
| The Pathway School |
| Penn Dental Medicine |
| The Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Salus at Drexel University |
| Special Equestrians |
| Special Olympics Pennsylvania |
| Stratford Friends School |
| Theatre Horizon |
| Valley Forge Educational Services |
| Variety – The Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley |
| Woods Services |
The research proposals were assessed by Dr. Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom, the lead scientific advisor from the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and 21 internationally recognized researchers who were individually selected based on the areas represented in the research proposals. The following criteria were closely considered in weighing the merit of each application: significance, investigator(s), innovation, approach, and environment. All research proposals were evaluated for measurable outcomes and transformational impact in the field of autism.
For more information on the 2024 scientific review process and the funded institutions, please visit EaglesAutismChallenge.org/our-impact-2024/.
The 8th annual Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025. To register for the event, visit EaglesAutismChallenge.org. The Eagles Autism Foundation is offering a 50% discount on registration using promo code: LETSHUNT.
