Introduction
Despite recent declines in overdose deaths nationally, overdose rates continue to rise across a number of states, communities, and demographic groups — highlighting the need for targeted interventions in communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis. Opioid settlement funds, along with other state and federal funding streams intended to address the opioid crisis, provide state leaders with new opportunities to direct resources where they are needed most. Strengthening partnerships and building community capacity is a key element of success in these efforts.
Community-based organizations (CBOs) that are known and trusted within their communities are critical partners in providing tailored services and supports that reduce risk factors for overdose. Despite the growing role of CBOs in addressing a wide range of health and social needs, small CBOs often face systemic challenges in accessing state-administered funding. Limited financial and administrative resources can pose barriers for CBOs navigating complicated state procurement processes, which in turn creates barriers for resources flowing into these communities.
To support effective community-level overdose responses, state leaders are advancing a variety of strategies to streamline funding access for CBOs in disproportionately affected communities. Informed by insights from a group of bipartisan state leaders, CBOs, and community engagement experts, this toolkit provides a menu of practical strategies that state opioid settlement administrators and other grant-making agencies are using to address common barriers in the grant process, build meaningful partnerships, and strengthen community overdose prevention infrastructure.
About This Toolkit:
Collecting Insights from State Administrators and CBOs
To understand challenges and opportunities to improve community access to state-level funding, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) and Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions at the American Institutes for Research (AIR CARES) conducted qualitative interviews with a range of CBOs, funders, and backbone organizations. They also conducted a listening session with CBOs funded by the Foundation for Opioid Response Effort’s community-level responses to the opioid crisis grant program. NASHP also convened a State Leaders Workgroup, composed of bipartisan state opioid administrators and agency officials with experience in administering community-level grants, to provide input on the state strategies, promising practices, and lessons learned contained in this toolkit (see the Methods and Acknowledgements sections for more information).