The West Virginia First Foundation is opening up for grant applications intended to alleviate the effects of the drug addiction epidemic.
“It’s a very important day for the state of West Virginia, and it’s an important step for the foundation itself,” said Jonathan Board, executive director of the West Virginia First Foundation.
The West Virginia First Foundation is a nonprofit board with millions of dollars in opioid settlement money available to put toward relief for state residents.
West Virginia will have about $1 billion following a number of lawsuits against distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies. The money is still coming in.
About $19.2 million will be available for the first round of funding.
“We want to put some skin in the game. We see the need,” said board member John Dower of Morgantown. “We pay attention to what’s happening in our communities, and we know there are people out there dying for this funding, legitimately.”
He added, “The need is now. The need’s not tomorrow. The need’s not in six years. We need to get the money out as soon as possible.”
The money can go to a variety of efforts. Initial priorities will be youth prevention and workforce development, child advocacy centers and neonatal abstinence programs, diversion programs and interdiction plus expansion of certified transitional and recovery housing.
“This is not what we intend to plan long-term, with a living needs assessment that changes. Instead, this is the low-hanging fruit; this is effective and efficient programs that we already see in the state that need a little bit of extra funding that we already see in the state that need a little bit of extra funding to boost their services and provide the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time,” Dower said.
Applications are open to nonprofit organizations across several regions of the state. Potential applicants are encouraged to first submit a notice of intent to apply. The deadline for applications is Oct. 5.
Applications will be reviewed by the interim grant committee and expert panel, and final approval will be made by the West Virginia First Foundation board of directors.
“The desire is to make this occur prior to the end of the year,” Board said. “That is something we want to hold ourselves to.”
West Virginia experienced 1,335 known overdose deaths in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate is 36.4% higher than the next worst state.
“The need is now, so the time is now,” said board president Matt Harvey, who is also the prosecutor in Jefferson County.
“All of us are painfully aware of the current and desperate need in this state, and this is really the foundation’s first opportunity to deploy resources into the hands of our friends that are righting to save lives and restore families in West Virginia.”