FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2024
Media Contact: Greg Turner, Ball Consulting Group, LLC
Phone: 617-243-9950; Email: greg@ballcg.com
RIZE Massachusetts Foundation Announces Grant Opportunity for Municipalities to Apply for Opioid Settlement Funds
$1.25M in One-year Matching Grants Available Through Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership
BOSTON – RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis in Massachusetts, announced today it will award $1.25 million in one-year matching grants to municipalities across the Commonwealth through Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership.
Mosaic is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and powered by RIZE. The funding comes from the MA Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), which resulted from the historic legal effort to hold private companies accountable for the harms caused by the opioid overdose crisis. Mosaic is part of a network of programs and initiatives funded by ORRF to address the impact of the overdose crisis in Massachusetts.
“Mosaic is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support communities most deeply impacted by the opioid crisis,” said Julie Burns, President and CEO of RIZE. “The Municipal Matching Grant Program will help communities bolster their capacity to address the overdose crisis through strong government and community collaboration, and to expand interventions proven to save lives.”
The goal of Mosaic is to create pathways for small, community-led organizations and municipalities to apply for a portion of the ORRF settlement funds, ensuring that the funding goes where the need is greatest. The Municipal Matching Grant Program seeks to match previously distributed municipal opioid settlement funds in cities and towns using best practices to end the overdose crisis, utilizing Care Massachusetts resources, conducting community outreach and needs assessments, and collaborating with others. It is the second grant program announced through Mosaic. In August, RIZE announced that 18 community-based organizations will receive a total of $3.75 million over three years through Mosaic’s first grant program, Community-based Opioid Response Efforts (CORE).
RIZE will conduct two additional Municipal Matching Grant rounds through 2027, awarding $1.25 million per year and totaling $3.75 million in grants over the three years of the program. Projects eligible for the grant will focus on at least one of the following areas: prevention, harm reduction, access to care, recovery, trauma, grief, and family supports.
In addition to grant funding, RIZE will provide technical assistance and learning opportunities tailored to the specific needs identified by the grantees, with the goal of strengthening their organizations and developing sustainability. This comprehensive support is designed to facilitate the effective implementation of initiatives and the building of more resilient communities.
Mosaic is designed to fund initiatives that address the opioid overdose crisis in communities and populations that have been historically underserved and have experienced a high rate of opioid-related overdose deaths. This model will ensure that ORRF settlement dollars are invested and remain in the communities most deeply impacted by the crises while also fueling transformative change through grassroots efforts.
Mosaic’s grant programs supplement and strengthen programs with a public health approach while helping nonprofits and municipalities build capacity and community through partnerships and opportunities for collaboration across sectors. Mosaic represents the Commonwealth’s deep commitment to ending the opioid crisis and improving the quality of life for people living with substance use disorder.
The Municipal Matching Grant Program application is available on the RIZE website: mosaic.rizema.org. Applications are due November 1, 2024, and the grant period will begin in February 2025.
About RIZE Massachusetts
RIZE Massachusetts Foundation is solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis. Guided by those with lived experience and unafraid of new ideas, RIZE is building networks, designing programming, and supporting community partners who are using novel approaches to preventing overdose and increasing access to treatment. Learn more at www.rizema.org.
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