Tailor Institute funding cut by state, to remain open

The Tailor Institute is not closing, but leaders are working earnestly on finding a new financial path forward after its entire state funding was scratched in a recent state budgetary move.

The organization, founded in 2003 by the late Dr. David Crowe, whose son is autistic, found out the news after the decision already was made.

The institute’s leaders were expecting funds to arrive July 1. The organization will continue to operate thanks to a contingency plan, using a discretionary fund and money raised from donors — most recently the Swine & Dine event held April 29, which netted $34,000, director Carrie Tracy said.

The Tailor Institute seeks to help autistic people develop skills they already possess to become independent, particularly preparing them for the workplace.

Tracy, who has been director for three years, said the institute operated solely on the yearly state grant, consistently $200,000 from year to year. Money raised or earned outside of that grant was placed into a discretionary fund that will be used to keep the doors open.

“We have been very conservative with the money we have raised from fundraising in the past and are very thankful right now that we have done so,” Tracy said.

“[We will] make sure each participant is taken care of, and that’s important,” she added.

Most participants are students in high school or college, so the summer is a busy time for the institute, with social events and weekly group sessions.

The institute’s annual summer kickoff barbecue was Thursday, a chance for staff, participants and their families to celebrate the beginning of summer break.

Tracy said the staff is terrific at connecting and working with the participants.

Weekly group sessions, called Project Independence groups, are led by clinicians who teach skills with which people on the autism spectrum often struggle, such as social thinking and vocational support, Tracy said.

“[They teach] based on what participants need,” she said.

Because the institute focused on training geared toward employment, funding previously had come from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

During the most recent legislative session, however, the funding was moved to the department of mental health, then eliminated entirely.

Staff members said they have not received a full explanation from local legislators.

It’s not clear who made the decision to move the funding from economic development to mental health or why.

Neither is it known why the funding was eliminated completely from the mental-health budget instead of being reduced.

Leaders with the organization said they were not contacted or invited to be included in any discussions or decisionmaking on the funding cut.

Every year, Tracy said, the Department of Economic Development issued guidelines the institute was required to follow, including reporting on benchmarks achieved and fulfilling a quota of 15 new participants each year.

“We’ve always hit that number,” Tracy said, adding for the fiscal year ending June 30, the organization served about 20 new participants.

Tracy said the institute is under contract with the state. That contract ends June 30, and with it, state funding.

After the contract ends, she said, the board plans to meet weekly to discuss objectives and how to reach them.

Tracy said the institute will be looking for a supplementary organization interested in the institute’s work and research.

She said the institute also plans to grow its donor base in coming months.

The worst-case scenario, Tracy said, would involve transitioning participants to another outreach organization, and while that likely will not be necessary anytime soon, “we have to be realistic,” she said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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