Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Bezos Courage & Civility Award Grants $5 Million to Neurodiversity Alliance’s David Flink

This year’s smaller, direct award signals a shift toward funding community leaders closest to neurodivergent students.

FILE - Jeff Bezos, left, and Lauren Sanchez leave a hotel for their pre wedding reception, in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

Overview

  • Flink is one of five winners of the 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award, which splits a $25 million pool equally after previous rounds reached as high as $100 million.
  • The unrestricted grant will be used to scale the Alliance’s peer mentorship model, expand training for student leaders, and pursue growth to more than 2,000 sites by 2028.
  • Neurodiversity Alliance began over 25 years ago as a peer-to-peer effort and now operates in more than 600 high schools and colleges nationwide.
  • This year’s selection reflects a move from celebrity honorees to grassroots leaders who run programs directly serving communities.
  • Reporting ties the gift to strains on federal disability oversight, noting Education Department staffing disruptions and a backlog of civil-rights complaints that advocates say increase demand for private support.