Opioid Restitution Funds Grants Program

Howard County’s Opioid Restitution Fund 

Background 

Howard County’s Opioid Restitution Fund (ORF) receives annual payments resulting from opioid-related litigation. Seven major national settlement agreements were reached in 2021 and 2022 following many years of litigation brought by state and local governments against pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacies, and distributors over their role in the opioid overdose crisis. These settlements resolved litigation and determined annual payment amounts to states and subdivisions (i.e., counties) from each defendant over a period which extends to approximately 18 years.  

Purpose 

The payments to states and subdivisions are to be used for the purposes of “abatement,” or “remediation,” of opioid use. The national settlements have in common a list of core strategies and allowable uses, referred to as “Exhibit E: List of Opioid Remediation Uses. These funds must support evidence-based or promising activities, may not supplant other funds, and must be directed towards opioid abatement activities specifically.  

Vision for Grantmaking 

In creating grant opportunities and distributing funding from Howard County’s Opioid Restitution Fund, the Office of Community Partnerships aims for: 

• Transparency regarding access to funds, strategy, and awarded activities. 

• An equitable, objective, and fair process for accessing grant funds.  

• Alignment with local and state overdose response strategies.  

• Filling gaps rather than duplicating efforts.  

• Responsiveness to data-informed county needs and community input.  

Questions and feedback 

We welcome input from community members about the use of this fund. Please contact Dana Heilman at dheilman@howardcountymd.gov with any questions or concerns.  

Mailing list 

Please click here to be added to the mailing list for Opioid Restitution Fund-related content, including funding opportunities.  [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/2K0IkT5]