MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation, the non-profit board with millions of dollars in opioid settlement money available to put toward relief for state residents, has expert panels in place for the next grant cycle later this year.
The Momentum Initiative Grant Cycle is set to start Sept. 22, with target areas and additional areas of focus still to be determined.
WVFF Executive Director Jonathan Board said he has traveled to all 55 counties and talked to many providers and residents as the target areas are determined.
“We have gaps of service throughout the state,” Board said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town” last week. “So we want to laser focus on those areas and make sure access to care regardless of space is provided.”
During their most recent meeting, the board approved the Gap Funding Model. This will allow the board to provide short-term loans to nonprofits and public entities awaiting state grant disbursements. The new addition keeps local organizations moving at the speed of “treatment” and does not allow the speed of government, or lack thereof, to create a negative impact.
“Provide that ‘gap’ funding, fill the space to make sure they can really focus on the work they need to do every day, and prevent that service disruption,” Board said.
Work on the target areas. continues, and the Board said their goal was to release that information sooner rather than later.
“In short order we will have produced for everyone to see those target areas that we are developing now and criteria for that application,” Board said.
The first grant cycle for the foundation opened in Sept. of last year, and by Dec. board members announced the award of more than $10 million to support substance abuse treatment programs across the state.
“We want to see the work and make sure we’re not relying on inference or hyperbole and make sure we honor those that have made these great sacrifices,” Board said.
Each of the six regions now has an expert panel made up of seven people. Those panels are available to groups working on applications to get help and expertise prior to submitting the application.
“As applications come in, as new projects are launched, we will run them through those local voices,” Board said. “We want to remove the notion that decisions are made by fiat from some high castle.”