Opioid Restitution Funds Grants Program

A pre-application webinar was held on March 25, 2026. In this webinar, DCRS staff will review information from this Notice of Funding Opportunity and answer general questions about the opportunity. It is highly encouraged that interested applicants review this webinar prior to submitting their application. 

A copy of the presentation slides is available below:

FY27 ORF NOFO Information Session Slides

A recording of the session is available by request, please email dheilman@howardcountymd.gov for access. 

Howard County’s Opioid Restitution Fund makes grants to nonprofit organizations and government entities for the purpose of opioid abatement/ remediation. This opportunity is made available through the county’s Opioid Restitution Fund, which receives payments resulting from opioid-related litigation. Opioid abatement activities serve to mitigate current and future harms associated with opioid use, including but not limited to preventing opioid overdoses. This work primarily includes activities that serve people who use drugs, people with opioid use disorder, and youth with risk factors for early substance use and development of substance use disorder. It may also include training and professional development for individuals working within systems that interact with and serve these populations.

All grants made with this funding must support the creation of a new program/services, the expansion of existing programs/services to allow for more people to be served, and/or enhancements in the quality of existing programs/services in a way that measurably improves outcomes. All activities must be evidence-based or evidence-informed with an evaluation component. Supplanting is strictly prohibited.

All applicants must:

• Be a local government entity, a certified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, or community-based organization operating under fiscal sponsorship;
• Be active and in good standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT); and,
• Provide services in Howard County, Maryland or propose to begin providing services in Howard County, Maryland.

Awards will be made for the one-year period from July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027, in amounts between $15,000 and $750,000.

There is no predetermined number of awards; funding will be distributed until all available funds are expended or the award period ends.

This opportunity prioritizes funding to strategies from Attachment 1: Priority Strategies. However, applicants may request and receive funding for any activities that align with Exhibit E of the national settlement agreements.

Proposed activities must:

• Benefit Howard County residents;
• Serve to mitigate future and current harm related to opioids;
• Be evidence-based or evidence-informed with an evaluation component;
• Create a new service/program, expand the number of people served by an existing service/program, or enhance quality of an existing service in a way that measurably improves outcomes; and,
• Align with allowable uses described in Exhibit E of the national settlement agreements.

Applicants are welcome to request funds for more than one category (creation, expansion, enhancement).

A more detailed list and guidance of allowable and unallowable uses for this funding can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. 

Please also review our Guidance on Supplanting document to also ensure your proposal avoids supplantation. 

All applications must be submitted through the Neighborly webform here: bit.ly/HoCoFY27ORF.

For guidance on using Neighborly, see here: Neighborly Access Instructions

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on April 22, 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.

• Please submit your application by the due date and time indicated. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Reach out if you have questions or need support prior to the day the application is due to ensure you receive a timely response. 
• Respond to application questions clearly, concisely, and completely.
• Applications are not being evaluated based on writing ability, grammar/spelling errors, use of full sentences, how much jargon you use, or the length of your sentences and words—but rather on their content. Focus on ensuring your ideas make sense and communicate them as simply as possible.
• If you choose to use AI to complete any portion of your application, be sure that you understand and can speak to the concepts your application is communicating. Please also ensure that the information is accurate and that your organization is actually capable of implementing the activities you are proposing.

• Collaborative Applications

  Collaborative applications that involve the participation of more than one organization are welcomed. Please indicate in your application that you are submitting a collaborative application. The application should be completed on behalf of the lead agency, who will be responsible for reporting and requesting reimbursement from the Office of Community Partnerships for expenses incurred. Collaborators can be indicated in the budget as subcontracts.

• Multi-Project Applications

  Applicants submitting requests for grant support for more than one project or program should only submit one application and one budget etc.

DCRS Office of Community Partnerships staff will also host “office hours” from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET on the following days. Attendees can join the office hours directly using this link.

• March 30
• April 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 16, 17, 20

Anyone who intends to apply or has questions about the grant opportunity is welcome to attend office hours. There is no agenda and no information will be formally presented. The office hours are an opportunity for applicants to receive one-on-one individualized guidance and support on their applications. There is no need for applicants to schedule attendance, anyone may show up at any time during office hours. Applicants may attend as many office hour sessions as they wish.

**Outside of office hours, DCRS staff will not read, score, or review individual applications or provide individual feedback during the application period**

This serves to ensure all applicants have access to the same amount and type of support and assistance. 

If you are unable to attend any of the scheduled office hours but need support and have questions, you may reach out to dheilman@howardcountymd.gov to schedule a supplementary office hours session.

Applications will be evaluated by several committees which may include Howard County government staff with relevant subject matter expertise, Opioid Restitution Fund Commission members, and community members with relevant experience, including lived experience. Evaluators are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from review accordingly. All applications will go through a compliance/eligibility review by OCP staff prior to being sent to review committees. 

Applications will be scored by reviewers on the following criteria:

• Alignment with priority strategies
• Evidence base
• Strength of outputs and outcomes
• Budget detail, cost reasonableness, necessity, alignment with activities and outcomes
• Feasibility
• Potential impact
• Involvement of people with lived experience
• Need and service gap/ insufficiencies
• Project suitability to addressing described needs
• Alignment of activities with intended outcomes
• Description of key staff and partners

Are you interested in sharing your expertise and helping decide where opioid settlement dollars are invested in Howard County? We are currently recruiting for volunteers to review and score grant applications for the Opioid Restitution Fund. Reviewers will be asked to score no more than five applications using a provided evaluation rubric and to participate in meetings to share their input and feedback with fellow reviewers and county staff. The anticipated time period for FY27 application review is April 27, 2026 through June 5, 2026. Please use this link to complete a quick survey form indicating your interest.

• ORF FY27 Notice of Funding Opportunity
• Attachment 1: Priority Strategies
• Attachment 2: Budget Template
• Attachment 3: Application Guide and Questions
• Attachment 4: Exhibit E List of Opioid Remediation Uses 
• Attachment 5: Guidance on Supplanting
• Neighborly Application Access Instructions