Arlington, VA, October 3, 2025 – The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is proud to share the winners of the Fall 2025 Peer Education Grant Competition. This cycle, OAR awarded $36,687 to 10 programs that support autism education for over 7,000 students in grades K-8.
Since 2012, OAR has helped educate more than 257,000 students about autism through the Kit for Kids peer education program. Through this program, OAR continues its commitment to educating students by awarding grants ranging from $500 to $10,000. Teachers, administrators, parents, youth group organizers, and autism professionals will lead these funded projects, teaching today’s youth about autism in school or other community-based settings.
Over the past year, OAR expanded the peer education grant funding through the support of Jewelers for Children (JFC), a nonprofit founded by the US jewelry industry dedicated to helping children in need. Since 2018, JFC has donated $395,000 to OAR to benefit autistic children
Congratulations to the 10 grant recipients!
AnnMarie Bates
Advancing Autism Acceptance Throughout Central Michigan
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Nick Indoma
Radically Inclusive 2.0: A School-wide Autism Awareness Initiative
Kyrene School District, Chandler, Arizona
Batya Jacobs
Sensitizing Neurotypical Peers in Schools to the Needs and Abilities of Individuals Living on the Autism Spectrum
Yachad, New York, New York
Blaire Krickl
Turning Pointe District Partner Peer Education Project
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, Naperville, Illinois
Lindsey Lipsky
Friendship & Understanding: A Community-Wide Autism Awareness Initiative for Jewish Classrooms
Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, Overland Park, Kansas
Sarah Mata-Espinosa
Organ Mountain High School Inclusion Ambassadors
Las Cruces Public Schools, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Matthew Powers
Pure Nonstops Peer Power: Building Autism Acceptance in SC Schools
Pure NonStops Education Program, Columbia, South Carolina
Jenni Redifer and Christina Noel
WKU Peer Education Grant
Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Beth Schloika
Gloversville Schools Elementary Autism Programming
Kingsborough Elementary School, Gloversville, NY
Alyece Smith
Color for Autism – Peer-Supported Awareness Events
Caiden’s Corner, Kiln, Mississippi
For inquiries regarding the Peer Education Grant Competition or for more information on the next grant cycle, please visit the website or contact OAR at 571-977-5391; e-mail programs@researchautism.org.
About OAR: The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national non-profit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions. Learn more at www.researchautism.org.
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