The Eagles Autism Foundation has announced that a total of 18 projects will receive $3.1 million in funding for cutting-edge autism research and programming. The funding is a direct result of the proceeds raised by participants from the 2020 Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial Group, which took place virtually on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020.
“I look forward to this review process every year because it brings to light the important work the Eagles Autism Foundation is committed to performing,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Chairman and CEO. “This past year reminded us how precious life is and how important the work of the Eagles Autism Foundation is toward bettering the lives of others. The pandemic forced us to take a step back and reimagine how we could positively impact the community in ways we never have before. We are especially proud to fund this year’s research projects and community grants, which have demonstrated to us the potential to transform the field of autism for families today and for those in the future.”
A total of 47 letters of intent were submitted for grant funding. The projects were narrowed down to 28 full proposals that went through a comprehensive evaluation process. Each project was carefully reviewed by an independent team of scientists who have demonstrated a clear and steadfast commitment to autism research, services, and programs. Following the review process, it was determined that eight pilot studies would be awarded to:
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) – Precision cell-based therapy for seizure and autism in Dravet syndrome
• Drexel University – Emotional expressivity in young children with and without ASD
• Harvard University – The use of high-dimensional EE