Opioid Settlement Impact and Recovery Grants

Opioid Settlement Impact and Recovery Grants

In January 2022, Rhode Island joined the national opioid settlement with three major opioid distributors, leading to over $90 million in funding for state and local efforts to address Rhode Island’s opioid crisis. Together with settlements secured by Attorney General Neronha, Rhode Island’s opioid litigation recoveries will total more than $200 million over time.

The Settlement Agreement states that all the funds will be directed to opioid abatement – including expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.

The Rhode Island Foundation partnered with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in May, 2023, to award $3,250,000 of Settlement funds to 15 nonprofits to address opioid use, treatment and prevention.

Through our continued partnership with EOHHS, this year, the Opioid Settlement Impact and Recovery Grants program will award $1,700,000 – fully funded with Settlement dollars – in three categories:

• Trauma Supports:
  • $1,000,000 is available to support programming for trauma supports for Rhode Island first responders, including support for peer harm reduction and recovery specialists. Based on feedback from community partners and emergency medical services professionals, the most effective approach to addressing trauma associated with being a first responder would be to fund trauma supports outside of their place of work. Day-to-day trauma experienced by first responders is a risk that leads to burn-out and other mental health symptoms. We also know that, due to stigma, most first responders are less likely to seek typical clinical treatment.
  • Therefore, we are seeking to fund innovative trauma-informed programs for first responders (including emergency medical personnel, law enforcement, and peer responders). Programs should be designed to address these traumas outside of their respective workplaces to allow first responders to have a safe space to address workplace traumas, with the goal of preventing mental health crises and helping first responders more easily return to work.
• Family Supports:
  • $450,000 is available to support programming by organizations made up of or serving families of people who use drugs, people in recovery, or people who have passed away because of an overdose.
  • According to SAMHSA, “while there is no one-size-fits-all solution for helping a family member who is drinking too much, using drugs, or dealing with a mental illness, research shows that family support can play a major role in helping a loved one with mental and substance use disorders.”
  • Therefore, we are seeking to fund creative supportive or empowering programs carried out by organizations made up of or supporting families of people affected by the overdose crisis.
• Basic Needs Support:
  • 250,000 is available for organizations that support individuals and families who are impacted by substance use/opioid use or at risk of an overdose by providing funding for “care packages,” such as bedding, furnishings, clothing, transportation (Uber, bus passes), food, legal fees, etc.

We anticipate making between two and six grants in each area described above. Grants will be for one year, with the possibility of a no-cost extension if agreed to by the Rhode Island Foundation and EOHHS.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Individual nonprofit or collaborations of 501(c) organizations located in and serving the state of Rhode Island.
• Organizations with a demonstrated track record of opioid prevention, harm reduction, treatment, or recovery activity.
• Faith-based organizations for secular programs or projects.
• Organizations that are committed to promoting equity and eliminating disparities – especially racial and ethnic disparities - as evidenced by their mission statements, publicly stated program priorities, data collection practices, etc.
• In addition, to meet the State’s focus on equity and eliminating disparities, organizations led by members of Rhode Island’s BIPOC community, LGBTQ+ Rhode Islanders, Veteran Rhode Islanders, Rhode Islanders with disabilities, and others who are disproportionately impacted by overdose are especially welcome to apply.
• The Rhode Island Foundation believes that our community can best be served by charitable organizations that both reflect and serve the diversity of our community.
• Click here for a summary chart of the opioid mitigation-related activities that are allowable for funding with Settlement dollars.
  • Applicants must be able to justify connections with at least one of these allowable uses in order to be eligible for these funds.

Ineligibility

• We do not award grants to applicants or for programs that have a policy that discriminates against any person or group in any way that is either unlawful or inconsistent with the mission or values of the Foundation.
• This program does not fund individuals, scholarships or research, capital or endowment efforts, or fundraising events.