Research has the potential to improve lives. But too often, valuable knowledge does not reach the people and communities that could benefit from it most.
Partners for Change was created to help close that gap.
An initiative of the Transforming Autism Care Consortium (TACC), Partners for Change seeks to position research in service to the community, especially around areas of unmet need in autism and neurodevelopmental conditions. By connecting research, lived experience, practice, and community expertise, it ensures that knowledge contributes to social innovation and meaningful changes in people’s lives.
From pilot project to action
Partners for Change began as a pilot initiative between 2021 and 2023, developed through consultation with researchers and community partners to create stronger connections between research and real-world priorities.
The pilot funded six community-partnered projects spanning healthcare, employment, housing, education, and arts and culture. Together, these projects engaged 24 researchers, seven students, 25 community partners, and 12 autistic individuals directly involved in the research process.
Today, Partners for Change has evolved into a broader platform for collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange, and is a key part of TACC’s strategy to build a more connected and responsive research ecosystem in Québec.
Filling a critical gap
Many challenges facing autistic individuals and people with other neurodevelopmental conditions do not fit within a single sector or system.
To focus collective action where it is needed most, Partners for Change will organize its work around four themes: Early Identification and Intervention, Mental Health, Inclusion and Autonomy, and Ageing. These areas reflect major opportunities to improve quality of life, participation, and inclusion across the lifespan.
By aligning research, practice, policy, and community priorities around these themes, Partners for Change helps ensure that knowledge is informed by real-world needs and can be translated into practical solutions.
How it works
Today, Partners for Change advances work through three interconnected areas of activity:
Connecting the ecosystem
Innovation rarely happens in isolation. Partners for Change helps strengthen relationships across research, practice, community, policy, philanthropy, and living and lived experience. These connections help identify priorities, share knowledge, and create new opportunities for collaboration and action.
Supporting partnered research
Partners for Change supports projects at different stages of development, from early partnership building to the implementation and evaluation of innovative solutions.
Through its Partnership Development Grants, the initiative provides seed funding through one annual call to support collaboration, co-design activities, and the development of larger-scale funding applications.
A key partnership with Société Inclusive enables TACC members to access funding for Innovation and Evaluation Grants, which support the co-design, testing, and evaluation of innovative social, clinical, technological, and service solutions.
Société Inclusive is a platform that brings together seven Quebec research networks and centers, including TACC, to support participatory, intersectoral projects that improve the quality of life of people living with disabilities. The program offers two annual funding competitions, awarding up to twelve grants of $35,000 each year.
The partnership with Société Inclusive includes involvement with its Comité des partenaires, a leadership group that helps guide the platform’s strategic direction and long-term sustainability. Through the participation of TACC Co-Director Mélanie Couture and Martine Habra, the network contributes expertise in autism and neurodevelopmental conditions while helping connect community priorities with research and innovation opportunities across sectors.
Beyond funding, Partners for Change helps projects expand their reach and impact. Teams benefit from access to TACC’s network, increased visibility, opportunities to share and mobilize knowledge, and connections that can support future growth and sustainability.
Advancing knowledge mobilization
Partners for Change leverages and contributes to TACC’s broader ecosystem of training, engagement, and knowledge-sharing activities to help move knowledge into practice.
Through evidence-informed training and professional development opportunities, accessible resources, and community-partnered events such as, Neurodiversity in Action: Voices, Evidence, Inclusion and Play, Connect, Thrive: Inclusive Outdoor Play, Partners for Change creates opportunities for evidence, living and lived experience, and innovative ideas to be shared, applied, and translated into action.
Looking ahead
Building on lessons from the pilot phase, Partners for Change is expanding its efforts through thematic campaigns, funding opportunities, strategic partnerships, and knowledge mobilization activities.
The goal is not simply to support research projects, but to create conditions for innovation that can improve programs, services, policies, and community initiatives. By helping ideas move from evidence to action, Partners for Change contributes to a future where autistic and neurodivergent people, their families, and their communities can thrive.