The chairman of the West Virginia First Foundation, Matt Harvey, has resigned from that role because he has been appointed as the federal prosecutor in the northern part of the state.
“Serving on this foundation has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Harvey said during a foundation meeting today.
“Together, we’ve made a real difference, built programs — touching lives and opening doors — and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team.”
The West Virginia First Foundation is nonprofit board with millions of dollars in opioid settlement money available to put toward relief for state residents.
Harvey, who has been the prosecutor in Jefferson County, has been chairman of the foundation’s board since its earliest days.
In July, President Donald Trump appointed Harvey to be the United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Harvey told board members today that he would not be able to continue with both roles, chairman and federal prosecutor. His appointment is subject to approval by the U.S. Senate, but he said that is lining up to happen relatively soon.
“Any time I could receive that call, which does require me to resign fully from the board,” Harvey said.
He guided the board to select an acting chairman until the next regularly scheduled elections for the foundation occur in December. Greg Duckworth, a Raleigh County commissioner, was selected for the interim role.
Jonathan Board, executive director of the West Virginia First Foundation, praised Harvey’s contributions.
“We are so thankful for your selfless support of time, wisdom and guidance to all of us. You’ve given up so much and given so much to this state,” Board said.
In other matters, Jon Dower, chairman of the grants committee noted that applications open Sept. 22 for the $19.2 million Momentum Initiative Grant.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” Dower said.
The foundation has made a range of resources available on its website, including a full request for application, a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions, step-by-step video tutorial on how to use a new portal, required budget template and scoring methodology and rubric.
“I’m excited that we’re able to meet a need as we see it, and I hope that we get a lot of applications and that the state is able to take advantage of the offerings that this great committee brought forward,” Dower said.
Foundation leaders reported a $324,277,784 on hand.
The foundation has disbursed $8,636,374 in initial opportunity grants. The foundation is currently distributing grant tranches totaling an additional $3,318,871.
The foundation received an additional $36,250,000 from the qualified settlement fund, an amount that was invested to draw interest.