Applications Open For First Round Of W.Va. Opioid Settlement Grants

The foundation responsible for dispersing West Virginia’s opioid settlement money has approved the launch of the application process for its first grant cycle.

The West Virginia First Foundation’s (WVFF) board approved $19.2 million in Initial Opportunity Grants during its meeting on Sept. 5. That is about 8.5 percent of the funds the foundation currently holds, according to its July financial statement. West Virginia is expected to receive about $1 billion in total after all its opioid settlement lawsuits are paid out.

“The need is now,” Jonathan Board, executive director of the WVFF, said. “The need is greater today than it was yesterday, and it’ll be greater tomorrow than it is today.”

The 2024 Initial Opportunity Grants focus on four target areas that have been identified by the Initial Opportunity Committee, formed during August’s board meeting. Those four areas are considered critical in the fight against the opioid crisis and are prioritized for funding.

“We talked with our board members, we talked with the Initial Opportunity Committee, all of whom have their own lived experience. They have direct access to these services, and they know where the gaps in services are, and so taking all of that together, they targeted these areas that would have the most immediate impact across the state, not just one region, but throughout the state,” Board said.

The Target Areas include diversion programs, which help people arrested for drug use avoid conviction and incarceration by diverting them to treatment options instead, and interdiction programs, which work to prevent illicit drugs from reaching their destinations.

Target Areas also include youth prevention and workforce development, child advocacy centers, neonatal abstinence programs and transitional and recovery housing expansion.

“We didn’t want to be exclusive,” Board said. “We want to make sure that this is equitably applied to everyone. So whether you’re a small shop that’s focused on healing one individual at a time, or a really large organization that’s working with hundreds of folks throughout the state, we want to make sure everyone has an equal voice.”

During this first round of funding, each of the state’s six regions could receive $800,000 per Target Area, with up to four awards per Target Area per region.

“We do see future grants being larger and more often,” Board said. “The amount that was chosen was a way that we could ensure that every region had an equal amount, instead of just based on a share, developed by some other mathematical equation. We wanted everyone to have equal access to an equal amount.”

This grant cycle is open to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, tax-exempt organizations under IRC 115 or other similar organizations that fulfill a charitable or public purpose, excluding for-profit entities.

While not mandatory, applicants are encouraged to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply. According to the foundation’s website, this notice will remain confidential and does not extend the application deadline.

Applications are due before midnight on Oct. 5, via PDF file, sent by email to the Foundation Contact and Executive Director, Jonathan Board at iog@wvfirst.org.

Applications will be reviewed by the Interim Grant Committee and the Expert Panel. Final approval will be made by the Board of Directors.

Awards will be announced on or before Dec. 31. Grantees will first receive 40 percent of their total allotment up front, then file financial statements with the foundation documenting the use of the funds to receive three more, 20 percent installments to complete the award.

“We want to know where the money is going and how it’s going, and probably most importantly if they need assistance in working through the process and advancing the mission and vision of each organization because that becomes a part of us,” Board said.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.