Photo by Jenna Hamra via Pexels
Grant a Gift Autism Foundation’s 16th annual fundraiser gala will be held at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 22, 2026.
ABC affiliate KSNV’s Jessica Rosado is the event’s emcee for her third year, according to a post on Grant a Gift’s Facebook.
This year’s sponsors include Wynn Resorts, Smile Dentistry, the Las Vegas Raiders, Findlay Automotive and more. Grant a Gift announced the Blue Man Group, which hosts sensory-friendly performances annually, as a recipient of its Community Ambassador Award this year.
In a promotional post for the event on her Instagram, author and TV personality Holly Madison, who has been open about her own autism diagnosis, said she will be returning as event ambassador for the event this year alongside Jessica Rosado as emcee.
Grant a Gift’s mission statement, according to the organization’s website, is to provide services for neurodivergent families in Las Vegas, including free workshops, vocational programs, and other services for neurodivergent individuals and their families.
Milestones
KSNV reported that nearly 900 guests attended 2024’s event, which raised over $2 million. According to Grant a Gift’s numbers for 2025, more than 1,000 guests attended the event last year, which raised more than $3 million.
This year, Grant a Gift reached an important milestone. In a post on the organization’s Instagram, Grant a Gift celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ackerman Center, which provides clinical services for autism in partnership with UNLV Health.
2026 Gala: patterns and prints
Grant a Gift announced its Patterns and Prints theme in August of this year on Instagram. In the post, the organization describes the theme within a context of change, listing storytelling and growth as the traits that led it to choose patterns for this year’s theme. Attendees are encouraged to interpret the theme themselves, while leaning toward business formal attire.
Changing patterns
As Donessa McPherson covered in an article last year in Autism Parenting Magazine, there are a variety of symbols associated with autism, from a puzzle piece, to butterflies, to the infinity symbol. The theme echoes the visuals of autism awareness efforts so far, from the traditional puzzle piece, to the more recent advent of the infinity symbol, as these visuals continue to change.
Proceeds and attendees
Per the organization, proceeds will fund Grant a Gift’s ongoing and future resources for autistic individuals, including expanding existing mental health and counseling services, clinical programs and diagnostic services and developing a hands-on learning center for skills development.
As KTNV reported earlier this week, this year’s gala expects more than 1,200 attendees.
How this story was reported
Reporting for this article confirmed the gala’s date and milestones through KSNV and Grant a Gift’s event page. The embedded social media posts in this article come from Grant a Gift’s social media accounts, linked from its home page, and from Holly Madison’s verified Instagram page, which is linked from her website.
Attendance and fundraising figures for 2025, along with the sponsor list for 2026, come from Grant a Gift’s event pages and could not be independently confirmed.
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