Alexandra Dilger Award for Neurodiverse Young Adults

The call for nominations is open.

deadline: November 3, 2026

Nomination Form

Alexandra’s Gift and the Alexandra Dilger Award Fund was established by Gale and Patrick Dilger in memory of their daughter, Alexandra, who lived a rich and fulfilling life despite personal challenges with depression and anxiety.

Do you have an educational or career goal in mind, but need a little help to get you there?

Alexandra’s Gift, the Alexandra Dilger Award, helps support neurodiverse young adults striving for greater independence while reaching for their dreams.

  • Awards are not monetary scholarships; rather, the award will provide recipients with the tools and supports for success.
  • Awards can only be made through high school transition programs, two- and four-year colleges, and nonprofit organizations providing programs and services to neurodiverse young adults.
  • Recent awards have included assistive technology, tutoring services, online classes, adaptive driving assessments, and specialized tools and equipment.

Nomination forms may be submitted by a neurodiverse individual or a nominator who knows an eligible candidate.

Nominators may be a teacher, a transition coordinator, a counselor, an employer, or a parent/guardian/relative.

Questions or further information, please contact the Community Foundation at Info@MiddlesexCountyCF.org or 860.347.0025

Award criteria

  • Is a resident of Connecticut or attending a Connecticut high school or college;
  • Is 18 to 30 years old;
  • Faces challenges due to autism, an intellectual/developmental disability, or is otherwise neurodiverse;
  • Is making active strides towards attaining a specific goal.

Alexandra Dilger Award Nomination

Nomination form for neurodiverse young adults determined to reach a specific goal.

Individual Nominated
An individual may be nominated by a community member or self-nominated.
Eligible applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old.
Address
Name of Guardian (if applicable)
Personal Reference (if self-nominated)
This may be a teacher, transition coordinator, guidance counselor, employer, relative.
Nominator (if not self-nominated)
Nominators may be a teacher, a transition coordinator, a guidance counselor, an employer, or a parent/guardian/relative
Does the nominee know about this submission?
If you are nominating an individual, have you informed them that you are nominating them for the award?
Please tell us about a goal you (or the individual you are nominating) have been working towards achieving despite challenges faced. Please provide specifics about the services or technology that would help you reach this goal, including a description and cost of those items. For example, 20 hours of tutoring at $50 per hour from XYZ organization for a total of $1,000. You may include website hyperlinks to the organization's services or technology to help explain your request. You may also upload documents later in the form if you have a PDF explaining the specific services, costs, and nonprofit organization service provider. (character count includes spaces)
You may upload additional information about the service(s) or technology support you are requesting. Files must be uploaded in PDF format only.
Drop files here or
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 256 MB.
    If you are self-nominating, please include a statement of support from a teacher, transition coordinator, counselor, employer, parent, guardian, or relative. The statement of support can be typed in the text box or uploaded as a PDF in the upload box below.
    documents must be uploaded as a PDF file.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 256 MB.
      Please provide the name of the high school transition academy, college, or nonprofit organization in which the nominee is enrolled or participating in services.