New program aims to help Kentuckians live FREE from addiction
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky (FHKY) has partnered the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE) and its Office of Health Equity (OHE) on a new grant program that aims to reduce overdose deaths and improve the overall well-being of minority and under-resourced communities in Kentucky. As we are one of the states that was hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, there is still much work to be done to heal our communities and improve access to care for our fellow Kentuckians.
The Funding for Recovery Equity and Expansion (FREE) Program will provide grants to nonprofits for activities that:
Raise awareness about overdose prevention.
Reduce the stigma around substance use disorder (SUD).
Improve access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for persons with opioid and/or stimulant use disorder.
Breaking Down Barriers
“We have a special ability with this program to provide more equitable access to grant funds,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. “There are so many organizations in Kentucky doing remarkable work and we are pleased to be able to empower them and remove some the barriers to receiving financial support.”
Large-scale state and federal grants often have obstacles that make it difficult for grassroots and smaller nonprofits to compete for funding. Reimbursement-based contracting, for example, requires that a nonprofit has sufficient capital. But with the FREE program, FHKY will provide the funding upon award to alleviate this burden and make it more accessible.
“Overcoming the substance use disorder crisis will require many partners and sustained effort across all of Kentucky. We are grateful to the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky’s collaboration which will further catalyze these efforts by helping us identify and support smaller community-based organizations which can travel the final mile to reach Kentuckians in need of assistance,” said Eric Friedlander, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Focusing on Minority Communities
Despite the recent decline in overdose deaths across the state, overdose deaths are disproportionally impacting people of color and other minorities. This program aims to address these disparities. By focusing on these populations, grantees can tailor their efforts to the specific needs of their communities.
About the Grants
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will provide grants to nonprofits that range from $10,000 to $50,000. Applicants must be community-based organizations with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The new FHKY grants coordinator, Heather Bruner, will oversee the project. Along with KORE and OHE, the Foundation will support its grantees by helping them utilize their resources, build organizational capacity, and prepare for future growth.
Organizations interested in applying for the grants can find all the details and the application at Healthy-KY.org. Applications will be accepted until midnight on September 1, 2023.
The project is a $615,680 investment into Kentucky’s opioid/stimulant use disorder recovery efforts. It is supported by the Kentucky Office of Health Equity via funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort via Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Grant H79TI085782.