Winner
Autistica
Summary of work
Autistica is leading a genuine revolution in autism research. Having given our community the power to set our priorities in 2016, we found new ways to put autistic people at the heart of everything we do in 2017. With the community’s priorities enshrined in our new research strategy, we launched Discover, the first national network for autism research, empowering autistic people and their families to play a leading role in autism science. We concluded the year with the announcement of a new grant scheme to support autistic researchers.
We’ve not shied away from taking on big, difficult issues, despite being a small charity. Having been the first organisation in the world to highlight the appalling rates of early death in the autism community, our persistent lobbying ensured that in 2017 premature mortality became a core focus of public policy for both the UK and US governments.
With 400% growth in income since 2015, we’re now Europe’s leading autism research funder, supporting more vital research than ever before. In 2017, we launched world-first studies into neglected community priorities such as the physical and mental health problems autistic people face, ageing with autism, stigma and suicide.
Judges’ comments
Autistica stood out for how much had been achieved with a small team and budget, demonstrating a real paradigm shift for the charity over the last year and raising the profile for what is a shocking health inequality. The focus was razor-sharp and there were very clear objectives, evaluations and use of resources, as well as demonstration of a really tangible benefit for patients. The user engagement was excellent.
