The ASA-LV received over 130 applications for the Child Enrichment Grants this year. The total amount requested was over $50,000, which far exceeded the $10,000 set aside for grants this year.  The ASA-LV Grant Review Committee carefully considered each application and decided to reduce the amounts for awarded applicants in order to maximize the number being benefited. We regret that we were unable to award the full amount to everyone and had to put some requests on a waiting list.  We encourage those who did not receive a grant this year to apply again in the future. 

Applications were sorted and subdivided through the following process:

I. Were they local? The out of area applications were not considered. (There were 14 from an agency in New York, and others outside the Lehigh Valley.)

II. Were they complete? Incomplete applications did not have a letter from an autism professional and/or were missing information about the item being requested. The incomplete applications received before October 7 received a letter stating what was missing and giving an October 19 deadline to return it. Applications that were still incomplete by Oct. 19 were not considered.

III. Were they on time? Any application postmarked October 16 or later was not considered.

IV. Did the applicant have autism? Those that did not state this were not considered.

V. Were they appropriate? Applications that were outside the range of this grant were not considered. Individuals were referred to other social agencies if appropriate.

VI. Had the applicant received a grant from ASA-LV in the past? Those that had were put on a waiting list and will be considered if additional funding becomes available. 

In total, the ASA-LV has allocated over $14,000 to help children with autism.

Based on feedback we received and questions we encountered, we are evaluating the grant application process for the future. Priority may be given to members and further priority may be given to members who attend meetings or events. This is still under discussion, but we suggest that everyone who may want to apply for a future grant make sure that they are on our membership rolls for 2010. You can fill out the membership form and submit it email to ASA_LV Membership or through the US postal service.  Dues continue to be optional and have been dropped to $10 for 2010.