Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks
Name	Autism Speaks
Formation	2005
Founders	Bob Wright, Suzanne Wright
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Region served	International

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 focused on autism spectrum disorder advocacy, research funding, and awareness campaigns. The organization has engaged with public figures and institutions such as George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Tim Cook while interacting with groups including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, United Nations, and American Academy of Pediatrics.

History

Autism Speaks was established in 2005 by Bob Wright and Suzanne Wright following involvement with families affected by autism, connecting to figures like Nancy Reagan, John McCain, Elizabeth Dole, Michael Bloomberg, and Rudolph Giuliani in its early public outreach. In its development the organization worked with research institutions and medical centers such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of California, Los Angeles to shape priorities. Major events and campaigns drew attention from cultural institutions and entertainment professionals including Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, and Warner Bros..

Mission and Activities

Autism Speaks describes its mission as promoting solutions across the lifespan for individuals with autism spectrum disorder through advocacy, support, and research, linking programmatic efforts with partners like Autism Society of America, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Simons Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Its activities have included awareness campaigns, public service announcements, policy engagement with legislators such as Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Paul Ryan, and Hillary Clinton, and collaborations with advocacy networks like Special Olympics, Easterseals, March of Dimes, United Way, and Feeding America.

Funding and Financials

Funding for the organization has come from private donors, corporate partnerships, and grants involving entities such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple, alongside fundraising events featuring celebrities like Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles, Lady Gaga, and Kanye West. Financial disclosures and IRS filings referenced philanthropic activities connected to foundations such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Kresge Foundation, and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. The group’s budgeting and grantmaking intersected with academic award processes administered by organizations such as National Science Foundation, Institute of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Gates Cambridge Trust, and Fulbright Program.

Advocacy and Controversies

The organization’s advocacy and public messaging generated debate involving disability rights advocates and leaders like Temple Grandin, Simone Biles, John Elder Robison, Stephen Shore, and Sia and drew scrutiny from groups including Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, American Civil Liberties Union, and Southern Poverty Law Center. Controversies over campaign rhetoric and representation led to critical responses from community organizations such as Autistic Self Advocacy Network, National Disability Rights Network, Equality Now, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Legal and policy disputes invoked intersections with courts and legislatures represented by entities like Supreme Court of the United States, Congress of the United States, New York State Assembly, California State Legislature, and United States Department of Justice.

Research and Programs

Research grants and programmatic initiatives have funded work at institutions and laboratories such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Broad Institute, and Cleveland Clinic, and collaborated with international research centers including University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institutet, Max Planck Society, Imperial College London, and University of Toronto. Programmatic offerings have linked to clinical practice guidelines and professional associations like American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Neurology, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Canadian Psychiatric Association, and Pediatric Academic Societies.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Leadership and governance have featured founders Bob Wright and Suzanne Wright along with boards and executives who have engaged with nonprofit governance experts and advisors from institutions such as Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Columbia Business School, Wharton School, and INSEAD. The board has included individuals affiliated with corporate, philanthropic, and academic entities like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, BNP Paribas, and Citi as well as legal counsel and policy advisors connected to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Latham & Watkins, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Jones Day, and Kirkland & Ellis.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City