Grants for ABA

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is a form of therapy for autistic individuals, typically children, which attempts to predict future behavioral responses by people with autism to a specific environment and control those responses. Although effective in many cases, the costs associated with providing ABA therapy to autistic children can be very high. Many organizations throughout the United States provide grant funding for families or organizations supporting families who want to pursue ABA therapy for their autistic children.

Educational programs in North Carolina designed to teach autistic children using applied behavior analysis techniques can benefit from an annual grant available from the Parker Autism Foundation. This foundation runs a grant program for charitable organizations operating under 501(c)(3) status and awards money to these organizations for individual scholarships to autistic students. Scholarships from the Parker Autism Foundation cover an autistic child's education in an ABA program and are adjusted to account for a family's size and medical needs.

ACT Today! is an American nonprofit foundation dedicated to provide treatment to autistic individuals and assist families in supporting autistic relatives. Grants are awarded quarterly throughout the year and range in amount from $100 to $5,000. Besides applied behavior analysis therapy, ACT Today! grants may be used to cover expenses related to speech therapy, occupational therapy, prescription medication and auditory integration training, or AIT. Grant applications from families with multiple children diagnosed with autism receive priority.

Both IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and other educational programs providing ABA therapy for autistic community members are eligible for grant funding through the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism. In 2010, this foundation awarded 30 grants totaling $369,861 to various programs involved in autistic services. Other than educational programs, funded activities included recreational programs, summer camps for autistic community members and individual family support grants. Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation grants typically range in amount from $10,000 to $20,000, 10 percent of which that can be used to cover a project's indirect costs, such as taxes or security.

AutismCares offers needs-based grants to individuals needing money to cover expenses associated with autism care, including ABA therapy. AutismCares grants award up to $1,000 to families with an annual income less than $40,000 to cover expenses during times of extreme financial need; in the 90 days prior to applying, a family must have experienced the unemployment of the primary wage earner, death or critical illness to a family member, or loss of property through foreclosure or natural disaster. The organization also offers technology grants for individuals with autism spectrum disorder for the purchase of technology that can aid applied behavior analysis therapy.