West Virginia First Foundation has announced the recipients of an initial round of grants meant to support specific initiatives to alleviate the effects of the opioid crisis.
The foundation’s board earlier this month approved funding of nearly $10.4 million to be distributed to 38 organizations across six regions of the state.
Today, representatives of the foundation formally notified the recipients of their approval and provided public notification of the organization names and outlines of their work.
Some of the biggest amounts included $720,000 to North Star Child Advocacy Center for expansion, $658,800 for Semper Liberi Incorporated for transition and recovery housing expansion and $625,644 to the Berkeley County Commission for diversion and interdiction programs.
“While we committed to announcing awardees before the end of the year, we felt it was important to share this good news ahead of the holiday season,” said Matt Harvey, chairman of the foundation board.
“The holidays can be a challenging time for many, and we hope this announcement reinforces a message of hope, recovery, and progress for West Virginia communities.”
This was a first round of funding for the newly-created foundation, which has emphasized that it wants progress as soon as possible toward relief from the effects of drug addiction across West Virginia while also being careful with how the money is used.
Initial priorities for the foundation are youth prevention and workforce development, child advocacy centers and neonatal abstinence programs, diversion programs and interdiction plus expansion of certified transitional and recovery housing.
Dozens of applications for funding were received and reviewed.
Among the recipients are community organizations, healthcare providers, and grassroots initiatives aiming for lasting change within their communities.
The foundation has also announced a supplemental round of grant applications to reach its original goal of $19.2 million in funding. The foundation is offering applicants who did not get funded in this first disbursement another opportunity to address application deficiencies and reapply for the remaining $8.8 million.
Those applicants have been contacted and will receive guidance from foundation staff on how to submit a complete and eligible application. All grant-seekers from the initial round whose submissions were not funded are eligible to participate. Applicants must have submitted their initial applications by the original deadline of Oct. 5, 2024.
Board members said the supplemental round demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of grant applications while ensuring the integrity of the funds through rigorous safeguards.
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 has hundreds of millions of dollars available for abatement efforts following a number of lawsuits against distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies. The money is still coming in.
The Foundation is responsible for distributing 72.5% of the opioid settlement funds, with 3% going directly to the State of West Virginia and 24.5% allocated directly to West Virginia local governments.
“The opioid crisis continues to be a profound challenge for our state, and these funds represent a crucial step in addressing the epidemic with both urgency and care,” said Jonathan Board, executive director of the West Virginia First Foundation.
“We’re proud to celebrate the incredible work of our awardees and to support them in creating measurable, sustainable change. At the same time, the Supplemental Round allows us to extend opportunities for even greater impact.”