Partners for Change Program

Part of our mission at TACC is to share new discoveries and knowledge with the community, but also to learn from the community so research can better support its needs and priorities.

One of the most effective ways to enhance research relevance and impact is to partner with members of the community that work directly with autistic people and their supportive communities. These partnerships have the potential to help address community needs and maximize the benefits of research for individuals and their families.

That’s why we’ve created the Partners for Change Program.

Partners for Change is a new program that fosters and supports partnerships between researchers and experts in other sectors (e.g., heath, education, industry and policy) that address recognized community needs and have potential to improve quality of life for autistic people or people with related conditions, and their families.

What the program can do:

  • Support and fund partnerships between a researcher and a community member
  • Foster emerging ideas and new partnerships through tailored opportunities and support

What the program offers:

Successful applications will receive up to $20,000 in funding for a period of 1 year. In addition to financial support, applicants will also benefit from opportunities for networking among projects’ teams, matching between community and academic partners, communication, and knowledge transfer.

Who can apply:

Partners for Change will support projects that demonstrate exceptional partnerships between researchers in academic institutions and experts in any other sector (e.g., education, industry, policy), where the outcomes improve quality of life for autistic people and individuals with related conditions, their families, and their supportive communities. We welcome applications from existing partnerships as well as new projects.

We welcome applications co-led by a minimum of one TACC regular researcher and one expert working in a non-academic sector. Members of the research community who are not TACC regular researchers are welcome to apply once they register as a member. Projects will be selected based on their potential to result in concrete deliverables and outcomes that address an identified need in the community.

I am in a partnership

Support and funding for ongoing partnerships

I have an idea for a project

Networking and support to develop a partnership

Our Researchers in the Community

Partnership Examples

Housing

Housing

A Quebec First: New Survey Aims to Discover the Housing Needs and Concerns of Autistic Adults

Employment

Employment

TACC supports Polaris Entreprise in preparing Autistic Adults for the Workplace

Education

Education

At The Forefront : TACC teams-up with Giant Steps for its innovative new research and education centre.

Housing Partnership

A Quebec First: New Survey Aims to Discover the Housing Needs and Concerns of Autistic Adults

Housing Needs

“Waiting lists to access assisted living spaces are up to 11 years long, yet we know very little about the housing needs of autistic adults in Quebec. The survey we are conducting in partnership with Autism House will give us a clearer picture.”

Isabelle Courcy
Sociologist, TACC Researcher

Autism House

“The goal of our survey is to collect the data we need in order to orient future housing projects for autistic adults across the spectrum and have evidence-based information we can present to funders and supporters.”

Dylan Hervé
Coordinator, Autism House

Key dates

  • Public information session and application launch : February 15th, 2022
  • Deadline for letter of intention submissions : March 16th, 2022
  • Deadline for full application : April 26th, 2022
  • Results announced and start of funding : June 2022

Eligibility checklist

  • One of the project leaders must be a researcher
  • At least one TACC regular researcher member. To become a TACC member, click here.
  • An expert in a non-academic sector, e.g., education, policy, not-for-profit, etc.
  • Projects must address a recognized need in the community relevant for people living with neurodevelopmental conditions and/or their caregivers.
  • Projects must consider lived experience of people in the design and implementation of their project.

Admissible expenses

All operating costs directly linked to the proposed project are admissible (salaries, consumables, equipment).

Evaluation process

Project proposals will be reviewed by an independent committee of TACC members (including regular researchers, trainees, and community members).

For any questions: