Grant a Gift Mission Statement

Grant a Gift Autism Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity helping children on the Autism Spectrum and their families fight Autism through the Diagnostic, Support Service, and Community Outreach Connection…by providing direct scholarships, funding partnership projects with local service providers and other gifts of support.  Our goal is to assist in enhancing each child’s development while supporting the family unit and promoting a lifetime of inclusion in the community in hopes of improving each family’s quality of life.

Vision and What We Do

We connect our families to local licensed and certified healthcare providers and therapists, experienced advocates, other non-profit organizations and governmental agencies that support autism. Our organization will always strive to fill-in the service and funding gaps to give our children growing up in Nevada a better quality of life and future.  We also want to be a positive contributor and partner to our community as a whole, so Nevada can be recognized as a state with quality support for our children and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? ASD is a neuro-developmental medical condition associated with unique abnormalities in brain development.  ASD is characterized by impairments with moderate to severe delays in:  social interaction, fine and gross motor skills, language and communication, repetitive behaviors and compulsive preoccupations. (Click Here For Statewide and National Resources )

The Epidemic: Children continue to go undiagnosed and untreated in Nevada.  Autism, whose cause remains unknown, is being diagnosed at an accelerating pace. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the developmental disorder is now affecting 1 in 110 children nationally.

The Movement: Autism Spectrum Disorders typically affect a person throughout their lifetime. However, for a child with ASD, an early diagnosis followed up by ongoing support services, can mean the difference between living an independent life or a life dependent on the support of others. Families receive little help to provide for the high expense of treatment…less than 6% of individuals with ASD in Nevada receive funding from state programs.  Most insurance companies and state agencies do not provide coverage for ASD’s and Autism-specific therapies.  Parents who cannot afford the full cost of care for their children with autism worry, with good reason, that their boys or girls could remain severely disabled throughout their lives. With proper treatment during childhood, those with autism have a good chance of pursuing careers and living personally rewarding, productive lives. Without extensive therapy and other treatment, beyond that provided by schools, there is a risk they will never achieve their full potential and will require lifelong government help!