Our Board recently held our Annual Business Meeting, and we’re excited to share a preview of what’s ahead for the Autism Faith Network!
We have a lot to look forward to over the next few months. From celebrating six years as a nonprofit to bringing back some of our favorite initiatives, the coming months will be filled with opportunities to connect, give, and make a difference.
Here’s a look at what’s ahead!
Celebrating 6 Years as a Nonprofit
August 21st marks our sixth year as a nonprofit organization!
Over the past six years, we’ve been blessed to connect with autistic individuals and their families. We’ve also been able to support faith communities, and create opportunities for greater understanding, acceptance, and inclusion across the country and beyond. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported us along the way. Your encouragement and generosity have helped to make our work possible.
Help Us Celebrate by Giving
To celebrate this milestone, we will host our Annual Fundraiser from August 21 through September 21. Funds raised will support our three main initiatives: Manna from Heaven, Cheerful Giving, and Space to Belong.
When you give to the Autism Faith Network, you’re doing more than just making a donation. You’re helping to provide meaningful support to autistic individuals and their families while also helping to create more welcoming and inclusive faith communities.
Every gift, no matter the size, can help us continue these initiatives and reach more people in the year ahead. As we celebrate six years, we invite you to be part of what comes next. Mark your calendar for August 21–September 21 and watch for more information about how you can help us make a difference!
Manna from Heaven
One of our favorite fall traditions is returning!
Manna from Heaven is designed to provide support to autistic individuals and their families. The holiday season can bring additional expenses, and this initiative is one way we can help families ease the financial pressure that can come with preparing a Thanksgiving meal. Through this initiative, eligible autistic individuals can receive a gift card to a local grocery store to help purchase food for their Thanksgiving dinner.
Our annual Manna from Heaven event will take place in October 2026. Be sure to follow us on social media and check our website for more information, including registration details and dates.
Cheerful Giving
The holiday season will be here before we know it, and that means it will soon be time for Cheerful Giving!
Cheerful Giving was created to bring a little extra joy to autistic persons who could use some additional support during the holidays. Through this initiative, we provide sensory toys, tools, and other gifts selected with sensory needs in mind. This initiative is about more than giving a gift. Our hope is to help people feel seen, understood, remembered, and included during a season centered around giving, family, and celebration.
Cheerful Giving will return in November 2026, with more details and registration information coming soon.
Space to Belong
Everyone deserves a place where they can feel comfortable, welcomed, and included.
That’s the heart behind Space to Belong, our initiative designed to help faith communities create more sensory-friendly environments. Through Space to Belong, we help places of worship create spaces where autistic individuals and others with sensory needs can feel more comfortable and welcomed in their faith community.
We are excited to host our 2nd annual Space to Belong event in April 2027! More information about how faith communities can participate will be shared as we get closer to the event.
The Best is Yet to Come
We’re incredibly excited about the months ahead and all that is in store!
Thank you for being part of the Autism Faith Network family and for helping us continue this work. Whether you donate, participate in one of our initiatives, share our mission with others, or simply cheer us on, you are an important part of what makes this work possible.
Stay tuned. There’s so much more to come! Make sure you subscribe to our email list so that you don’t miss out!