Autism Community Training

What Autism Community Training does

ACT – Autism Community Training is a British Columbia-based registered charity (#861691236RR0001) founded in 2003 by Deborah Pugh. It operates as a non-profit information, training, and navigation support organization serving autistic individuals, families, caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, workplaces, and community organizations across BC and, through its 24-language website, internationally. ACT's core technology is a web-based information portal anchored by the Autism & Intellectual Disability (AID) Search — a curated, searchable database of more than 3,000 resources — supplemented by 87+ on-demand professional videos, specialized resource hubs (New Diagnosis Hub, Transition to Adulthood Hub), and a multilingual navigation support service staffed by volunteers.

The organization's product surface spans self-serve digital resources, live and on-demand credentialed training, tailored workplace and school workshops, and direct family navigation assistance. On-demand courses are priced at a flat $20 per course with certificates of completion, while workshops, webinars, and conferences are priced variably and supplemented by a bursary program to reduce financial barriers. ACT no longer receives ongoing government funding from the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development and is instead funded through donations, monthly supporter programs, the BC Community Gaming Fund, and sponsorship, with governance now formally guided by an Autistic Advisory Committee and an Indigenous Advisory Committee to ensure lived-experience and community-led direction of content.

Name

Autism Community Training

Legal name

ACT – Autism Community Training Society

Website

https://actcommunity.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Autism Community Training (ACT) is a BC-based registered charity that provides evidence-informed autism information, training, and navigation support to autistic individuals, families, educators, and professionals via a 3,000+ resource web portal, credentialed courses, workshops, and a multilingual navigation service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and autism community training services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Teacher Training & Professional Development (EDAKAKAL), Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Autism information resources
• Special needs training
• Credentialed online courses
• Neurodiversity education workshops
• Community autism support

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ACT is a registered charity (#861691236RR0001) that relies on ongoing community support through donations and monthly supporter programs. The organization emphasizes that small monthly donations help ensure ACT's services remain accessible.
2. On-Demand Course Fees: ACT offers on-demand credentialed online training courses for $20 each, providing flexible, self-paced training for families, caregivers, educators, and professionals. Courses include engaging modules, practical learning materials, quizzes, and a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion.
3. Workshop and Event Fees: ACT provides tailored workshops and presentations for workplaces and schools, as well as live training events. Registration for training is handled via email ([email protected]). Events are listed for both free and fee-based participation.
4. Bursary Program: ACT offers bursaries to help reduce financial barriers to participation, including support for individuals and families who need to travel to attend ACT events. This supports equitable access to training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACT operates a comprehensive web-based information and training platform for the autism community in British Columbia, anchored by the Autism & Intellectual Disability (AID) Search — a searchable database of more than 3,000 evidence-informed resources. It sells on-demand credentialed online courses ($20 each), delivers tailored live workshops and presentations for workplaces, schools, and community organizations, and provides a free library of 87+ videos plus specialized resource hubs for newly diagnosed families and youth transitioning to adulthood.

Product overview

ACT – Autism Community Training operates as a non-profit information and training organization offering a unified platform of interconnected services for the autism community. The core offerings include the Autism & Intellectual Disability Search (AID) database, On-Demand Learning Courses with credentialing, Informative Workshops & Presentations tailored for various audiences, and a comprehensive video library. These are complemented by specialized hubs including the New Diagnosis Hub for recently diagnosed families, the Transition to Adulthood Hub for planning services, and Navigation Support for Families providing direct assistance. The organization also maintains a Community Events listing for British Columbia, creating an integrated ecosystem of information, education, and support services spanning from early childhood through adulthood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Autism & Intellectual Disability Search (AID) A searchable online database providing access to more than 3,000 evidence-informed autism and intellectual disability resources, allowing users to search by topic, region, and resource type. Designed for autistic individuals, families, caregivers, educators, and community professionals in British Columbia.
• On-Demand Learning Courses Self-paced online training courses providing flexible, credentialed education for families, caregivers, educators, and professionals supporting autistic individuals, with modules, practical learning materials, quizzes, and a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion.
• Informative Workshops & Presentations Tailored workshops and presentations for workplaces, schools, and community settings covering neurodiversity, inclusion, sensory processing, executive functioning, and autism-related topics across the lifespan.
• Autism Videos @ ACT A free library of professional, evidence-based videos featuring autistic adults, researchers, and practitioners covering topics such as mental health, education, behavior support, toilet training, sleep, and transitions to adulthood.
• New Diagnosis Hub A specialized resource portal helping parents in British Columbia navigate the steps after receiving an autism diagnosis, including autism funding agreements, treatment approaches, and finding service providers.
• Transition to Adulthood Hub A planning framework and resource collection supporting young people with developmental disabilities as they transition from high school to adult life, including guidance on CLBC services and person-centered planning.
• Navigation Support for Families Direct assistance and guidance from ACT's team helping families locate information and identify next steps for navigating services and supports across different stages of life, available in multiple languages (Punjabi, Farsi, Mandarin, Tagalog, Spanish, Tamil, Sinhalese).
• Community Events in BC A listing service for workshops, conferences, and events related to autism and diverse needs provided by local agencies and organizations throughout British Columbia.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Provincial Outreach Program for Autism & Related Disorders (POPARD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT acknowledges the financial support of POPARD, which supports provincial outreach for autism and related disorders. POPARD and ACT co-present training events including the Introduction to Applied Behaviour Analysis 5-Day Virtual course.
• Simon Fraser University (SFU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT acknowledges the financial support of Simon Fraser University. SFU researchers, including Dr. Grace Iarocci and Dr. Anthony Bailey, have presented at ACT events and contributed to the organization's research-informed content. ACT's Focus on Research series has featured SFU research findings.
• Autism Information Services BC (AIS BC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIS BC provides information, resources, and navigation support to help families understand and access autism services across British Columbia. ACT refers families to AIS BC for autism information and services, making AIS BC a key partner in the BC autism support ecosystem.
• Community Living BC (CLBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLBC is a government agency that provides funding to service providers supporting adults with developmental disabilities with daily living and community inclusion. ACT's Transition to Adulthood Hub extensively references CLBC services including community inclusion support, employment support, residential supports, behavioral support, and respite for families.
• Autistic Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT is guided by its Autistic Advisory Committee, which provides insights from the Autistic community to shape ACT's services, education, and advocacy initiatives. This committee ensures ACT's work is grounded in lived experience and neurodiversity-affirming principles.
• Indigenous Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT is guided by its Indigenous Advisory Committee, which helps shape the organization's approach to supporting Indigenous communities affected by autism. ACT also offers a Bursary Program for Indigenous Communities to reduce financial barriers to participation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Autism Society of America: Large US-based national autism advocacy and information organization operating affiliated chapters, an information portal, and community programming; broader portfolio than ACT but addresses the same core family/educator information need.
• Autism Speaks Canada: Canadian arm of a large, well-funded international autism advocacy organization with broad resource, training, and research portfolios; competes in the same autism information and training space as ACT at greater scale.

Direct peers

• Autism Canada: National Canadian autism advocacy and information organization with overlapping parent/educator resource focus; serves as the closest national-level peer to ACT's information and training mission.
• Sinneave Family Foundation: Calgary-based Canadian autism foundation delivering training, applied research, and transition supports; aligns with ACT on training-led, evidence-informed services for autistic youth and adults.
• Kerry's Place Autism Services: Ontario-based autism services organization providing information, training, and direct supports to autistic individuals, families, and professionals; comparable mission and multi-program service model outside BC.
• Geneva Centre for Autism: Toronto-based autism services and training organization delivering direct programs, professional training, and community resources to autistic individuals across the lifespan; compares directly on training-led service delivery outside BC.

Regional players

• Autism Ontario: Provincial autism advocacy and information organization in Ontario providing webinars, resources, and training; closest provincial-scale alternative to ACT's education-and-information focus.
• Canucks Autism Network: BC-based autism services organization offering programs, training, and resources for autistic individuals and families across British Columbia; competes for similar donor and audience attention in the same BC geography as ACT.
• Pacific Autism Family Network: BC family services hub for autism providing resource navigation, programs, and events; overlaps with ACT on family-facing autism information and BC community event listings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actcommunitybc
• Facebookfacebook.com/autismcommunitytraining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/act---autism-community-training

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Autism Community Training