By Eamon Baird
TROY — The application deadline for the first grant cycle of the Miami County Opioid Grant Program is Wednesday, Feb. 28.
This program was instituted to disperse settlement funds received through the OneOhio Agreement on an annual basis for the duration of the settlement. These grants will be awarded to eligible businesses and non-profit organizations.
On Sep. 16, 2021, Ohio settled on a $808 million agreement with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, the three largest distributors of opioids, that puts the state at the front of the line to receive monetary relief for communities ravaged by the addiction crisis. Additionally, the state of Ohio received a $185 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.
As a statewide initiative, OneOhio was organized with 19 distinct areas of the state to implement strategies for disbursing opioid settlement funds on a regional basis.
Miami County is one of the nine counties in Region 15. This region received 3.76% of the state funding, with $1.2 million coming from the distributor settlement allocation and $706,036.41 from the Johnson and Johnson settlement. The region started receiving money in 2022, which will continue for an anticipated 18-year period.
The Miami County Commissioners authorized to administer $173.812.20 for eligible Miami County organizations and businesses at their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Grant recipients must follow the following eligibility standards:
1. Grant applications must be received by 9 a.m. EST on the posted closing date either in the Board of Miami County Commissioners’ Office located at 201 West Main St. in Troy or via email at [email protected].
2. Non-profit organizations and businesses may apply for grants to fund eligible programming that will occur within the next twelve months.
3. Funding requests must be under $15,000 and related to specific programming costs. The organization’s operating expenses (i.e., payroll, benefit costs, mortgage/rent, utilities, etc.) will be considered for funding.
4. Programming must benefit Miami County residents.
5. Must be operating within the jurisdictional boundaries of Miami County, Ohio.
6. Ineligible organizations are those that are in pending bankruptcy proceedings or that will file for such bankruptcy protections within six months of the date of application for assistance.
7. Must be in good standing with local, state, and federal jurisdictions with respect to taxes, fees, utility payments, and other financial obligations.
The next cycle for the Miami County Opioid Grant will run from July 1 to July 26.
The grant application can be accessed at https://co.miami.oh.us/574/Grants. For assistance in completing this application, contact Angela Lewis at [email protected] or call 937-440-5996.
