National — OAR 2026–2027 Peer Education Grants ($500–$12,000; January 11)

Organization for Autism Research 2026–2027 Peer Education Grants fund student-focused autism inclusion projects in U.S. schools, districts, libraries and nonprofits. Up to $12,000 for district-wide projects or $500–$6,000 for smaller programs. Applications close January 11, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

FundingUp to $12,000 per school-district-wide applicant project; $500–$6,000 for other, smaller applicant projects. The $50,000 set aside for the entire competition is the program pool, not an applicant maximum.

DeadlineJanuary 11, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), as published by the controlling 2026–2027 application portal. Applications opened September 25, 2026.

Last verified2026-10-27

Required next actionRead the current OAR application at https://researchautism.smapply.org/prog/peer_education_grant/. Confirm U.S. school, school district, library, 501(c)(3) nonprofit or community organization conducting student-facing autism peer education; educators, administrators, parents, youth leaders and autism professionals may coordinate the project. Select district-wide (up to $12,000) or smaller project ($500–$6,000), use OAR Kit for Kids/Autism Tuned In materials, submit the required online application and project budget by January 11, 2027 11:59 p.m. EST; include support letter if applicable. Plan earliest start April 1, 2027 and final reporting with expenditure receipts.

Broad Eligibility

Teachers, school administrators, parents, youth group organizers and autism professionals leading autism inclusion education projects in U.S. K–12 schools, school districts, libraries, qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits and other community settings; U.S. military installations overseas eligible. Project must directly educate students using OAR peer materials rather than solely train adults; organizations serving low-income communities strongly encouraged.

Atlas Analysis

Organization for Autism Research — 2026–2027 Peer Education Grants

The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is accepting applications for Peer Education Grants supporting school and community projects that use its Kit for Kids and Autism Tuned In resources to teach students about autism and strengthen acceptance of their autistic peers. The current live grant application opened September 25, 2026 and closes January 11, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Individual award limits

School district-wide projects may request up to $12,000. Smaller school or community projects may seek $500–$6,000. OAR states that $50,000 is set aside across the competition overall; this overall funding pool is not the individual applicant award maximum. Awards depend on funding availability, educational impact, eligible costs, quality and number of applicants.

Eligibility and project fit

Teachers, school administrators, parents, youth group leaders and autism professionals organizing peer-autism-acceptance activities at qualifying institutions may apply. Eligible settings include U.S. K–12 public schools and school districts, libraries, 501(c)(3) nonprofits and community organizations, including U.S. military installations overseas. OAR encourages school districts and organizations serving low-income communities and favors projects capable of providing post-project photos or video documentation. The purpose is to educate students and promote inclusion; activities focused only on training parents, teachers or school staff are a lower priority.

Funding uses, conditions and reporting

Projects can include peer-education campaigns, workshops and presentations based on OAR educational materials. Eligible budget items include program materials, printing, guest-speaker honoraria and travel, venue rental and refreshments. Staff salaries cannot be charged to the grant. The earliest project start date is April 1, 2027. OAR expects to notify applicants within one month after the deadline and to mail grant checks and educational materials before project start. Recipients must provide a final report, budget and copies of expenditure receipts within one month after the project ends. The current application does not publish a universal mandatory match.

Submission requirements

Review the official OAR 2026–2027 Peer Education Grant application and instructions and submit the electronic application and required project budget form by January 11, 2027, 11:59 p.m. EST. Include a letter of support if applicable; charity verification is optional. Questions may be directed to programs@researchautism.org. Note: an older general OAR grant webpage still displays a June 2026 closing date and lower award figures; the currently open 2026–2027 application portal controls this new cycle.

Official controlling source: OAR current 2026–2027 application portal, independently verified October 27, 2026. This is organizational and school-facing competitive charitable funding, not procurement.

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