In collaboration with Behavioral Health Department, Alameda County Health, Three Valleys Community Foundation is launching an inaugural round of Innovative Mini-Grants to be awarded to community-based, nonprofit organizations working thoughtfully, creatively, and collaboratively to address the opioid crisis in Alameda County.
Donor Name: Three Valleys Community Foundation
State: California
County: Alameda County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/10/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Local community members, leaders, and stakeholders have identified the opioid crisis in Alameda County as a silent, devastating and pervasive challenge, impacting many more than those directly in addiction. Every overdose in the region is more than just a statistic; it represents a family broken apart, children left without parents, loved ones bereaved, and a community left with a profound void.
Uplifting the values of collaboration and innovation, and building upon the concentrated focus on overall community mental health and wellness, 3VCF encourages organizations doing innovative, transformative work to address the intersectionality of behavioral health and the opioid epidemic among Alameda County’s most vulnerable communities, to apply.
Foundation is taking a broad and inventive approach, and welcome applications that propose new, innovative, and promising solutions to address the opioid epidemic throughout Alameda County. Community-based organizations that are implementing and promoting emerging approaches, increasing access to services, reimagining current strategies, and transforming existing practices in creative ways to address substance use disorder, are encouraged to apply. They are particularly interested in supporting collaborative approaches between two or more organizations. Some examples of broad approaches they will consider for funding include, but are not limited to:
- Prevention. Early intervention strategies can reduce the impact of substance use and mental health disorders. By removing stigma through education, they can promote opioid-related primary prevention in the communities and schools. By eliminating unnecessary prescription drug exposure, they can aim to stop substance misuse before it begins. By increasing awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in health care among the general public, they can improve outcomes for populations most at risk for opioid addiction through preventative measures.
- Harm reduction. Harm reduction strategies can minimize negative consequences of SUD by connecting people who use drugs with the services and resources they need to improve their physical, mental, and social well-being. Through increased access to affordable substance use and mental health disorder treatments, harm reduction can help reduce negative consequences for people who use drugs, especially those in underserved communities.
- Treatment. Evidence-based medical treatments combining medications, counseling, and therapy are often the most effective choice for opioid addiction and part of recovery. The use of medications in combination with behavioral therapies and social supports to provide a holistic “whole person” treatment approach holds promise.
- Recovery. Community-based organizations are uniquely positioned to meet people where they are: by helping individuals secure safe and effective recovery housing; by honoring and responding to the individual needs of people seeking treatment and connecting them to appropriate recovery resources to help meet their recovery goals; and by promoting wellness through recovery resources and centers in the most vulnerable neighborhoods and communities.
Funding Information
Grants will range in size from $50,000 – $300,000. Single organization applicants may submit for up to $250,000 and collaborative applications of two or more organizations may submit for up to $300,000.
Grant Period
3VCF plans to award multiple grants. Grants will be for 12 – 14 months, with an estimated start date of March 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
3VCF will consider applications from:
- 501c3 nonprofit entities, or fiscally sponsored projects / community-based organizations of any size or stage of development.
- Collaborative initiatives / applications of two or more organizations led by a 501c3. Collaborations are strongly encouraged, but not required.
- Priority consideration will be given to applications that serve Alameda County’s most vulnerable communities, and populations that are disproportionately impacted by SUD, as outlined in 3VCF’s By the Numbers – Communities in Crisis – with Disparate Consequences. Priority will also be placed on applications that include California’s High Impact Abatement Activities priority areas which include but are not limited to:
- Operating or matching funds for SUD facilities within the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program;
- Creating new or expanding SUD Treatment infrastructure;
- Addressing the needs of communities of color and vulnerable populations (including sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations);
- Diversion of people with SUD from the justice system into treatment, including by providing training and resources to first and early responders (sworn and non-sworn) and implementing best practices for outreach, diversion and deflection, employability, restorative justice, and harm reduction;
- Interventions to prevent drug addiction in vulnerable youth;
- The purchase of naloxone for local entities including for distribution and efforts to expand access to naloxone for opioid overdose reversals.
- All applications must be designed to directly benefit and serve Alameda County.
For more information, visit 3VCF.
