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Kylie Kelce has long been a quiet but powerful force behind one of the NFL's most impactful philanthropic efforts and her work reached a historic milestone when the Philadelphia Eagles announced a $50 million donation to autism research, the largest such gift in American academic medical history.
A central figure in the Eagles Autism Foundation, the mother-of-four's connection to autism advocacy runs deep; rooted not in headlines or fame, but in personal experience thanks to a childhood friendship with a neighbor named Tim, a close family friend who is autistic.
"It never really ed with me that we were interacting with someone who was on the spectrum," Kylie told the New Heights podcast, which is co-hosted by her husband, Jason, stressing how that early experience laid the foundations for her activism.
Then in May 2025, just six weeks after the birth of her fourth child, she was back on the field at Lincoln Financial to speak at the annual Eagles Autism Challenge in an event that raised over $10 million.
She called the moment "emotional" and "inspiring," unaware that something even more monumental was about to follow as the Eagles' owner, Jeffrey Lurie, stunned the autism research community by announcing a $50 million donation.
"Thank you, Mr. Lurie! This is incredible," Kylie posted to social media, along with a photo from the press conference as he announced the establishment of the Lurie Autism Institute-a collaborative venture between the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine.
The goal is to transform how autism is understood, diagnosed, and treated across the lifespan with a lot of work to be done when it comes to understanding the causes of autism and the intimate impact.
"By investing in cutting-edge science... we're aiming not just to understand autism more deeply-but to transform what's possible," said Lurie. "There's no single gene, no single reason."
As a result, the owner of the NFL champions will back programs like the 'Next-Generation Program in Autism Bioscience' and AI-driven research initiatives, the Institute is poised to bring tangible advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics.
He will also push for the need for multifaceted research, with institutional strength and long-term funding. There is hope for a real breakthrough when it comes to understanding the dynamics of autism.
Do vaccines cause autism?
No, vaccines do not cause autism. Extensive scientific research has found no credible link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through thousands of studies and investigations.
In fact, the claim had originated from a 1998 study that has since been thoroughly discredited and retracted due to ethical violations and flawed methodology - ruining the validity of the study entirely.
Numerous large-scale studies by reputable institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, have confirmed that vaccines are safe and essential for preventing serious diseases.
The scientific consensus is clear: vaccines do not cause autism, and spreading misinformation about vaccine safety can put public health at risk by reducing vaccination rates and increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks.