The Autistic People of Color Fund

Community Power, Redistributive Justice, Mutual Aid, Solidarity Economics

Our Grantees

For the first time, we are happy to share some of the stories behind the Fund’s grants (with permission from grantees).

With your help, we can continue supporting our community members.

Rayn Alezandre

[Photo: Rayn, an Indigenous Mexican person, looks directly at the camera with a serious and thoughtful expression. They are wearing a tied headband/scarf, glasses, a leather collar with a heart buckle, deep purple/blue lipstick, and a t-shirt with a retro design that says My First Knife Fight showing two white kids fighting with a knife.]

Rayn is an autistic person with multiple other disabilities who lives in California (US), and received a grant to help with debt relief from bills.

Angel McCorkle

Photo of Angel, a young Black genderfluid person with long light-colored straightened hair, smiles at the camera. They are in a conference room with many tables set up, and they are wearing a pink cowled collar shirt.
[Photo: Angel, a young Black genderfluid person with long light-colored straightened hair, smiles at the camera. They are in a conference room with many tables set up, and they are wearing a pink cowled collar shirt.]

Angel received a grant to help with food after they had their food stamps taken away, and electric and gas bills that they fell behind on.

“I’m a poet and author desperately trying to create and survive at the same time.”

Angel McCorkle

Mason and Raquel McAfee

Photo of Mason and Raquel, both biracial children with a Black parent, standing on a wooden porch together. They both grin - Raquel showing recently lost teeth in her smile - and are facing each other, while Mason stretches out his arm to poke his sister. They are both wearing t-shirts, sneakers, and backpacks.
[Photo: Mason and Raquel, both biracial children with a Black parent, standing on a wooden porch together. They both grin – Raquel showing recently lost teeth in her smile – and are facing each other, while Mason stretches out his arm to poke his sister. They are both wearing t-shirts, sneakers, and backpacks.]

Mason and Raquel are autistic siblings who live in Missouri (US). They received a grant to help pay for clothing and food.

LaLa S.

Photo of LaLa, a biracial (Afro-Caribbean and Italian) person with short brown curly hair and glasses, gives a partial smile and tilts their head to the side while looking at the camera. They are wearing glasses, a red jacket, a red sweater, and two small gold chain necklaces.
[Photo: LaLa, a biracial (Afro-Caribbean and Italian) person with short brown curly hair and glasses, gives a partial smile and tilts their head to the side while looking at the camera. They are wearing glasses, a red jacket, a red sweater, and two small gold chain necklaces.]

LaLa lives in Massachusetts (US), and received a grant to help pay for treatment for fibromyalgia, therapy and psychiatrist appointments, transportation to and from school/work/appointments, winter clothing and shoes, food, and hygiene products, all of which they have struggled with immensely as a multiply-disabled person.

Shamiir

Photo of Shamiir, a young Caribbean-descended person of color with short hair, smiling with his mother Nikita, who has wavy shoulder-length hair. Shamiir is wearing a green and grey t-shirt, and Nikita is wearing a bright multi-colored woven-fabric pattern shirt.
[Photo: Shamiir, a young Caribbean-descended person of color with short hair, smiling with his mother Nikita, who has wavy shoulder-length hair. Shamiir is wearing a green and grey t-shirt, and Nikita is wearing a bright multi-colored woven-fabric pattern shirt.]

Shamiir lives in Ontario (Canada), and received a grant to help with adaptive equipment or augmentative/alternative communication device, clothing, and medical or mental health expenses.

Brianna Manzanares

Photo of Brianna, a young Latinx person with glasses and highlights in their straight dark hair, looks directly at the camera, crossing their arms. She is wearing a tank top over black pants, and has half-sleeve tattoos on both of her arms, as well as part of a tattoo of cursive script on part of her chest. They are wearing a silver bracelet and crimson lipstick.
[Photo: Brianna, a young Latinx person with glasses and highlights in their straight dark hair, looks directly at the camera, crossing their arms. She is wearing a tank top over black pants, and has half-sleeve tattoos on both of her arms, as well as part of a tattoo of cursive script on part of her chest. They are wearing a silver bracelet and crimson lipstick.]

Brianna lives in Utah (US) and received a grant to help pay for school-related costs, as they began a new program in January 2020. Brianna already has three associate’s degrees, and is now seeking a Bachelor’s in Psychology and later a doctorate of psychology. They plan to focus on providing cognitive therapy and dialectical therapy to adult clients.

“I have been able to overcome the social difficulties of adulthood through the Roller Derby community. Roller derby became a special interest of mine 6 years ago, and I attribute most of my newly found social and coping skills to this community.”

Brianna Manzanares

Lauren

Photo of Lauren, a young African American woman, with shoulder-length straightened hair, smiling while sitting against a white fence on a porch. She is wearing a white t-shirt that says Love Is Love in rainbow letters.
[Photo: Lauren, a young African American woman, with shoulder-length straightened hair, smiling while sitting against a white fence on a porch. She is wearing a white t-shirt that says Love Is Love in rainbow letters.]

Lauren lives in Maryland (US), and received a grant to help with books for the Fall 2019 semester of college as she began classes.

Jocelyn Moguel

Photo of Jocelyn, a young xicanx person with shoulder length dark wavy hair, poses smiling and eyes closed in front of a free-standing four-claw bathtub, holding one hand below their chil, and holding a large rubber ducky in their other hand. They are wearing glasses, a black t-shirt, plaid shorts, and fishnet tights. There are two pink neon lights in the shape of clouds or bubbles on the wall.
[Photo: Jocelyn, a young xicanx person with shoulder length dark wavy hair, poses smiling and eyes closed in front of a free-standing four-claw bathtub, holding one hand below their chil, and holding a large rubber ducky in their other hand. They are wearing glasses, a black t-shirt, plaid shorts, and fishnet tights. There are two pink neon lights in the shape of clouds or bubbles on the wall.]

Jocelyn lives in California (US), and received a grant to print zines, get a monthly buss pass, help with my school fees, pay for my medications, and record their band’s first demo.

“I am a queer xicanx Zine maker, environmental social justice activist, artist, punk musician, and a film student at MSMU with Autism. I have been very behind on my creative endeavors since I’ve been unemployed and have been surviving off odd jobs for a while now. It’s been hard for me since I had to sacrifice my creative projects so I can simply eat and have a roof over my head. “

Jocelyn Moguel

Follow Jocelyn’s zine Xicanx Crybaby Zine on Instagram.

Eunisha Y. Emerson

Photo of Eunisha, a young mixed-race (African, Native American, Irish, Scottish, French) person with shoulder-length curly reddish brown hair and glasses, smiles widely at the camera. Eunisha is wearing an ivory jacket over a black shirt with polka dots and a turquoise and silver necklace, and is standing in front of a green wall with framed art in shades of blue, reddish-brown, and teal.
[Photo: Eunisha, a young mixed-race (African, Native American, Irish, Scottish, French) person with shoulder-length curly reddish brown hair and glasses, smiles widely at the camera. Eunisha is wearing an ivory jacket over a black shirt with polka dots and a turquoise and silver necklace, and is standing in front of a green wall with framed art in shades of blue, reddish-brown, and teal.]

Eunisha lives in Missouri (US), and received a grant to help pay a shut-off electricity bill.

“After discovering that my youngest son is on the spectrum (Asperger’s) his therapists suggested that I get some testing done as well. Watching him have similar struggles as two of my older children and myself was hard, but also a revelation. Now that we know our differences from ‘mainstream’ society, it is not always easier to navigate in the big wife world- but now (for the most part) we know what works best for us. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 46 ( my children have ADHD as well) which I am working on every day to control.”

Eunisha Y. Emerson

Lennée Reid

Photo of Lennée, a young mixed race (creole, african american, choctaw, and european) woman with wavy dark brown hair, wearing a necklace with amulet, smiles for the camera in a dark room.
[Photo: Lennée, a young mixed race (creole, african american, choctaw, and european) woman with wavy dark brown hair, wearing a necklace with amulet, smiles for the camera in a dark room.]

Lennée lives in Washington (US), and received a grant to help pay for travel for her and her kid (who she raises as a single mom) to Chicago for a national poetry slam, since she was the Olympia People’s Mic Poetry Grand Slam Champion. She also organized the second annual Olympia Witches March for Unity and Solidarity.

Read a poem Lennée wrote about autism, visit Lennée’s Bandcamp page, visit Lennée’s blog, or follow Lennée on Twitter.

Naakai Dzole Addy

Photo of Naakai, a young Black woman, smiles and looks down and away from the camera while resting amidst leaves and flowers. She wears thin braids, swirling gold dangling earrings, and a white tank top.
[Photo: Naakai, a young Black woman, smiles and looks down and away from the camera while resting amidst leaves and flowers. She wears thin braids, swirling gold dangling earrings, and a white tank top.]

Naakai lives in California (US), and received a grant to pay for application fees to Master’s of Fine Arts programs in writing. She has been underemployed as a part-time freelance writer and editor, and has been staying with friends and family because of unstable housing.

I received my autism diagnosis later in life, but am very grateful for the clarity. I always struggled to keep full-time work not because of my competence at my job, but because of my difficulty navigating its social requirements. […] I was pushed out of a job for reporting racism, and I believe that the way my autistic traits presented in that office exacerbated the bullying and mistreatment I was subjected to there. My hope is to get a scholarship to an MFA program, find work that is better suited to my natural disposition, and rebuild my life in an environment that celebrates neurodiversity.

Naakai Dzole Addy

Visit Naakai’s portfolio.

Heather C.

Photo of Heather, a young latinx & mestizo, (afroperuvian, indigenous, and white) woman with short dark curly hair combed upward, looks directly at the camera against a wooden wall. She is wearing a red shirt and small gold earrings.
[Photo: Heather, a young latinx & mestizo, (afroperuvian, indigenous, and white) woman with short dark curly hair combed upward, looks directly at the camera against a wooden wall. She is wearing a red shirt and small gold earrings.]

Heather lives in Maine (US), and received a grant to help pay for a weaving workshop.

I plan to use the funds toward a weaving workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Craft with Cynthia Alberto. I am a queer Peruvian-American performer & transdisciplinary artist who works with intuitive movement, installation, printmaking, fiber, Instagram and food. I draw the content of my work from my maternal heritage, bridging my own hybridized culture with traditional Peruvian culture. I believe taking Cynthia’s workshop would be transformative and would allow me to dive deeper into my practice. She teaches traditional and contemporary weaving techniques while looking at indigenous cultures for inspiration. I am seeking to learn more skills from my ancestors to be able to tell my story.

Heather C.

Visit Heather’s website, and follow Heather on Instagram.

Nazanin Afshar Szanto

Photo of Nazanin, a gender traitor and transmasculine person with dark wavy hair who is mixed race West Asian (MENA) Iranian/Iraqi, Indigenous to Nicaragua, and white colonizer. They are looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, wearing a white top cut across the chest, with sunlit buildings behind them.
Photo of Nazanin, a gender traitor and transmasculine person with dark wavy hair who is mixed race West Asian (MENA) Iranian/Iraqi, Indigenous to Nicaragua, and white colonizer. They are crouching on dirt in front of a tree, wearing a blue tank top and ripped jeans, looking thoughtfully slightly to the side, and holding two pictures in their hand of tarot cards, one showing an owl.
Photo of Nazanin, a gender traitor and transmasculine person with dark wavy hair who is mixed race West Asian (MENA) Iranian/Iraqi, Indigenous to Nicaragua, and white colonizer. They are leaning against a banister on a balcony with arms crossed, wearing a short-sleeve patterned collared shirt, tilting their head to the side and looking at the camera, with city buildings in the background.
[Photos: A series of three photos of Nazanin, a gender traitor and transmasculine person with dark wavy hair who is mixed race West Asian (MENA) Iranian/Iraqi, Indigenous to Nicaragua, and white colonizer. In the first, they are looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, wearing a white top cut across the chest, with sunlit buildings behind them. In the second, they are crouching on dirt in front of a tree, wearing a blue tank top and ripped jeans, looking thoughtfully slightly to the side, and holding two pictures in their hand of tarot cards, one showing an owl. In the third, they are leaning against a banister on a balcony with arms crossed, wearing a short-sleeve patterned collared shirt, tilting their head to the side and looking at the camera, with city buildings in the background.]

Nazanin lives in California (US), and received a grant to help with rent and treat themself after leaving a job where they were working over 60 hours a week, which was completely unsustainable as a multiply disabled and chronically ill person.

“The reason I left my job is because it was a case of life or death, legitimately. […] Ever since then I have been trying to survive month to month by working odd jobs and doing healing work (which isn’t valued enough.)”

Nazanin Afshar Szanto

Follow Nazanin on Twitter.

Xhey Evans-El

Photo of Xhey, a young Black Indigenous-descended person with short hair, holds their phone in a bathroom to take a selfie. They are wearing sunglasses, and a shirt with a black and pink design, a dark blazer with buttons on it, and holding the strap of a backpack.
[Photo: Xhey, a young Black Indigenous-descended person with short hair, holds their phone in a bathroom to take a selfie. They are wearing sunglasses, and a shirt with a black and pink design, a dark blazer with buttons on it, and holding the strap of a backpack.]

Xhey lives in Pennsylvania (US), and received a grant to reincorporate art, exercise and getting outside as healthy practices in their life. They are the only income earner of a household of two autistic adults, and despite being multiply disabled themself, must fill their time with teaching, research, and service to receive their stipend. Their grant went toward a new laptop charger, art supplies to do their own art therapy at home, new clothing and shoes, supplies for body butters, winter shoes and a sweater for their emotional support animal, and a good pillow.

“I consider myself a creative and I plan to incorporate my art into a dissertation about living with disabilities in higher education while black, trans nonbinary, and a survivor so the supplies in particular could help me launch myself into a career that will earn me a living family wage for the first time when I graduate. […] This grant would be the difference between acruing more debt and momentary relaxation.”

Xhey Evans-El

Jamie Cayley

Photo of Jamie, a young Latino man with short curly brown hair and rainbow-framed glasses, smiles while standing in a meadow outdoors. There are forests of evergreen trees behind the meadow, and a wooden sign that says Canto del Bosque behind him. He is wearing a red t-shirt with the Missouri State mascot Boomer the Bear, a backpack, and a camera around his neck.
[Photo: Jamie, a young Latino man with short curly brown hair and rainbow-framed glasses, smiles while standing in a meadow outdoors. There are forests of evergreen trees behind the meadow, and a wooden sign that says Canto del Bosque behind him. He is wearing a red t-shirt with the Missouri State mascot Boomer the Bear, a backpack, and a camera around his neck.]

Jamie lives in Missouri (US), and received a grant to help him pay for food (since he was primarily living out of a campus food pantry), medications and psychiatry appointments, winter clothing, and mandatory health insurance payments.

“I love math, calligraphy, reading, ballet (I’m currently a scholarship student at Springfield ballet and dance around 15h a week), rock climbing, have 3 kittens, if money wasn’t an object (I owe a ton due to loans I took to cover my first year of undergrad) I’d love to open a small ‘school’ to provide high quality personalised education to autistic and neurodivergent children who are from underrepresented demographics and wouldn’t otherwise have access to anything like it and spend the rest of my time dancing, cuddling kittens, running a bookstore and doing math research.”

Jamie Cayley

Ikie Jahmai Lambert

Photo of Jahmai, a young Black child with short hair, lies on a wooden floor and smiles at the camera, gesturing outward with one hand. Jahmai is wearing a Super Mario t-shirt.
[Photo: Jahmai, a young Black child with short hair, lies on a wooden floor and smiles at the camera, gesturing outward with one hand. Jahmai is wearing a Super Mario t-shirt.]

Jahmai lives in Kentucky (US), and received a grant to help pay for an iPad for communication.

Sharon, Keaten, Amerin, MiTrell, and Mitrae

Photo of five people (Sharon, Keaten, Amerin, Mitrell, and Mitrae), who are all African American of Native descent, standing together in a room with a Christmas tree and some wrapped presents and boxes on the floor behind them. They are all smiling, and wearing white or red or red plaid.
[Photo: Five people (Sharon, Keaten, Amerin, Mitrell, and Mitrae), who are all African American of Native descent, standing together in a room with a Christmas tree and some wrapped presents and boxes on the floor behind them. They are all smiling, and wearing white or red or red plaid.]

Sharon, Keaten, Amerin, MiTrell, and Mitrae are an all-autistic African American and Native descended family living in Minnesota (US), and received a grant to help pay for food and winter coats. Sharon is raising her children without being able to work due to PTSD, and without transportation to get to the nearest food pantries.

“It’s just really hard times. And scary situations . On top of my mental health raising four amazing young bi racial young men with learning disabilities and many diognosis . It can be a struggle but we make it through each day a little bit stronger trying to break the cycle”

Sharon

Noemi Martinez

Photo of Noemi, a young Boricua/Chicanx person with shoulder-length dark wavy/curly hair, lies on their back, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. They are wearing a dark red and black checkered shirt, and have their head on a pillow in a floral design pillowcase.
[Photo: Noemi, a young Boricua/Chicanx person with shoulder-length dark wavy/curly hair, lies on their back, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. They are wearing a dark red and black checkered shirt, and have their head on a pillow in a floral design pillowcase.]

Noemi lives in Texas (US), and received a grant for artistic and cultural pursuits, and for medical or mental health expenses.

Follow Noemi on Twitter.

Deion Hawkins

Photo of Deion, a young African American man with short hair and the faint traces of a beard and mustache, smiles with trees and the National Cathedral in the background behind him. He is wearing a red shirt.
[Photo: Deion, a young African American man with short hair and the faint traces of a beard and mustache, smiles with trees and the National Cathedral in the background behind him. He is wearing a red shirt.]

Deion is an autistic young adult with intellectual disabilities who lives in Washington, DC (US), and received a grant to help create pins based on his art for autism awareness. He recently finished school with a non-diploma certificate, and is currently enrolled in an art program. He is planning to start his own business so he can use his strengths.

Greyson Robinson

Photo of young African American child with short hair, wearing a dark collared shirt with little designs on it and khaki pants. Greyson is leaning against a couch in a lobby with furniture and wall decorations in teal and grey.
[Photo: Greyson, a young African American child with short hair, is wearing a dark collared shirt with little designs on it and khaki pants. Greyson is leaning against a couch in a lobby with furniture and wall decorations in teal and grey.]

Greyson lives in Tennessee (US), and received a grant to help pay for his daily lunches.

Chevone Petersen

Photo of Chevone, a young Cape Coloured woman, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a knit silver hat and matching scarf over a grey shirt, and glasses.
[Photo: Chevone, a young Cape Coloured woman, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a knit silver hat and matching scarf over a grey shirt, and glasses.]

Chevone lives in West Cape (South Africa), and received a grant to help with school-related expenses and driving lessons.

“I love writing and have 2 novels that I hope to have professionally edited one day. The one is fiction and the other a memoir of 11 days in my life.”

Chevone Petersen

Visit Chevone’s website Chev’s Life.