The National Autistic Society is delighted to announce the five charities which will be awarded grants for their work to support autistic people and their families.

Our charity launched the new Boshier Grant Scheme in partnership with Thea and Peter Boshier. Thea and Peter have both personal and professional connections to autism and have experienced first-hand the challenges faced by autistic people and their families.

The scheme will award grants of up to £25,000 to registered charities across the UK, which share our aim to create a society that works for autistic people.

The five charities which have been awarded funding are:

• Autistic Girls Network - Autistic Girls Network will create and run a post-diagnostic mentoring service for recently-diagnosed autistic teens and their families.
• Bridgend Carers Centre - Bridgend Carers Centre’s Wildflower Project will support autistic girls and young women and their families in Bridgend.
• Leeds Mind - Leeds Mind will run peer support groups, in collaboration with neurodivergent people, to help address the mental health issues they face.
• Sibs - Sibs will run a project for adult siblings called Confident Caring, which will include online information and support, a dedicated support group, and sharing stories on its website to help adult siblings feel less alone.
• Time Together - Time Together will create a support group to empower parent carers, improve their well-being, reduce isolation and lead to better care and support for the autistic and disabled people in their lives.

These projects directly benefit autistic people with a focus on education, employment, diagnosis, public understanding and representation, public services and specialist care, and families and support networks.

Hayley Parker, Interim Head of Fundraising and Supporter Relations at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are thrilled to announce the five charities which are to be awarded grants as part of our Boshier Grant Scheme, and we can’t wait to see these brilliant projects in action. Each grant will go towards vital projects to support autistic people and their families, to help transform lives and create a society that works for autistic people. We’d like to say a huge congratulations to all the successful charities, and a big thank you to Thea and Peter Boshier for partnering with our charity to create this scheme.”

A spokesperson for the Autistic Girls Network said: “Autistic Girls Network is delighted and grateful to receive funding from the Boshier Grant Scheme. We know how frustrating it is to receive a diagnosis and be left to figure it all out for yourself. We hope that the mentoring sessions and the resources we'll be providing will form the basis of a positive autistic identity and allow families to provide a nurturing neuro-affirmative environment which facilitates advocacy.”

A spokesperson for Bridgend Carers Centre said: “Thank you to the Boshier Grant Scheme for funding our Wildflower Project. This vital funding will allow us to grow our support, develop more services, offer more training, and allow these young women to thrive in a safe, inclusive environment.”

A spokesperson for Leeds Mind said: “We’re really excited about receiving funding from the Boshier Grant Scheme. Having trialled our Open Minds: Autism and Mental Health course earlier this year, we are aware that the demand for this sort of support is highly due to a lack of specialist delivery in Leeds for a group of people badly affected by health inequality and at increased risk of suicide. The funding will improve neurodivergent individuals’ ability to manage their mental wellbeing, change and uncertainty and will reduce their sense of isolation while waiting for diagnosis.”

A spokesperson for Sibs said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive funding from the Boshier Grant Programme. Adult siblings play a crucial role within their families, but they are often an overlooked group of family carers. Sibling carers need good support to improve outcomes for both themselves and their autistic siblings. This project will fill a unique and crucial gap in support”

A spokesperson for Time Together said: “We are delighted and grateful to have been successful in our application and we’re excited to get started.”

Applications for the Boshier Grant Scheme for this year are now closed. The application period is due to open in July 2024. You can read more here.