The Autistic Art Foundation – previously known as the Mosoly Otthon Foundation – has been helping support the autistic housing facilities in Hungary since 2006.
Over our 13 years of work we have donated more than €467,000 to these autistic housing facilities.
The money we have raised so far is enough to cover 8-10% of each facilities financial needs. While this may seem minuscule, providing the right environment and professionals for people with autism is very costly. To put it in perspective, housing and caring for one person in the home for a month costs approximately 1250 euros. Even though most boarders pay some of their expenses and the state provides financial support, the costs are still far from being covered.
Due to the boarder’s rent and government support, the financial aid we provide covers most basic needs. Our ultimate goal is that no housing facility should ever be closed and nobody should lose their place in one of the homes because of financial difficulties.
We provide more than just financial aid for the housing facilities. We also organize an art program for the youth who live in the housing facilities. The therapeutic art programs serve not only to help the autistic participants but to help the housing facilities as a whole. On the one hand, the art is therapeutic – drawing and painting entertains the participants and helps them developmentally. On the other hand, the drawings produced by the participants are sold to generate income in order to further support the facilities.
Since 2008 we have sold more than 400 drawings and we now host our own auctions where anyone who is interested can bid on the artwork created by the autistic artists. The designs of the autistic artists are also used to create products to sell (like scarves, sweaters, wine bottle labels, and so much more). This generates even more revenue for the housing facilities.
Our goal is more than just mere financial support. Our goal is to go above and beyond affording everyday financial needs. We want to make the lives of autistic people living in Hungary easier and better with developmental programs, furthered research, and raised awareness.
Over the years we have amassed a collection of 10,000 autistic art drawings and we are currently working on using them for research purposes. We want to use the information discovered in this research to help spread autism awareness and allow more and more people to know what it is like to live with autism.
