Working with Young People through co-production

We strongly encourage applicants to co-produce their applications with autistic students. We are committed to ensuring that the activities and initiatives SCF funds truly meet the diverse and unique needs of autistic students. It is essential to us that young people with lived experience of autism are not just consulted but are actively involved in the co-creation of applications. Ideally autistic students will play a central role in co-managing and co-delivering the funded activities.

Previous funding has demonstrated that activities which have been thoughtfully planned and executed in collaboration with autistic students lead to significant and positive impacts. By recognising autistic young people as the experts in their own experiences—how they think, feel, and act—we can develop initiatives that genuinely support them in meaningful ways.

Incorporating their insights ensures that the solutions we fund are not only relevant but also empower autistic students by valuing their voices and contributions throughout the entire process.

Please see our scoring criteria here which demonstrates how we evaluate co-production as part of our application assessment process.