State Launches Community Grantmaking Program for Substance-use Disorder

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll administration announced the launch of a first-in-the-nation community grant program for substance-use disorder (SUD) prevention, recovery, and treatment.

The administration is investing more than $5 million annually in this grantmaking program, with the goal of increasing the equitable allocation of Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund grants to organizations and municipalities that otherwise could not apply for funding. RIZE, a public-private partnership focused on ending the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts, has been selected to build and operate the program.

RIZE will proactively reach out to potential grantees and support them through the grantmaking process. Grantees will be municipalities and organizations in communities disproportionately impacted by the overdose crisis, who face capacity or resource challenges in hiring dedicated grant writers or pursuing external funding. By creating this new pathway to statewide opioid abatement funding, the administration aims to further increase equitable access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

“People in Massachusetts have experienced the heartbreak and pain brought on by substance-use disorder and how much it has hurt those we care about deeply,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “This program is the next step in finding creative and constructive ways to give people access to the resources they need and meet them in communities where they have the most support, leading to greater success in recovery.”

Expected to launch this spring, the grantmaking program aims to fund more than 30 grantees in its initial year, with awards ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 over a period of 18 to 24 months. Examples of projects that could be funded include support for children and family members who have lost a loved one to opioid overdose; support for individuals, including young people, who may be at risk for opioid use disorder and/or overdose; support for individuals in recovery and their family members to promote family healing, increase recovery capital, and support long-term recovery; and support for other community-based efforts designed to address opioid-use disorder and reduce overdose deaths.