Call for Proposals for Competitive Grant Program – Maryland

Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response is pleased to announce the Competitive Grant Program for fiscal year (FY) 2026!

Donor Name: Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response

State: Maryland

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 02/28/2025

Size of the Grant: More than $1 million

Grant Duration: 1 Year

Details:

The purpose of MOOR’s Competitive Grant Program is to distribute grant funding to the highest- scoring proposals received from state and local governments, as well as from private and not-for-profit community-based partners, that align with MOOR’s strategic priorities and serve to meet some of the greatest needs around the State.

MOOR Strategic Priorities

• Prevention
  • Prevention efforts include strategies that seek to prevent current and future substance use. Prevention strategies aim to reduce individual and environmental risk factors while increasing protective factors to prevent or delay the onset or severity of drug use.
• Harm Reduction
  • Harm reduction refers to programs and policies that seek to minimize the harms associated with substance use and meet people where they are, free of judgment. Harm reduction strategies are trauma-informed and directly serve people who use drugs by empowering them with the tools they need to stay safe. Historically, harm reduction has included syringe services programs, overdose education, drug checking, naloxone distribution, infectious disease testing and treatment, and access to low-threshold substance use services.
• Treatment
  • Substance use disorder is complex, and there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Treatment services, interventions, and care settings should be tailored to provide individuals with the greatest opportunity for successful outcomes. Individuals should be able to access all levels of substance use treatment, ranging from outpatient services to medically managed, intensive residential care.
• Recovery
  • Substance use disorder is a long-term, sometimes relapsing health condition, and comprehensive recovery services help support the health and wellness of individuals following periods of active substance use and/or treatment. Like treatment, there is no one-size-fits-all recovery strategy, and resources need to be individualized. Various recovery efforts can help reduce the risk of relapse and overdose by increasing access to fundamental supportive factors, such as counseling, housing, transportation, and employment.
• Public Safety
  • Public safety officials are important partners in the collective efforts to address the overdose crisis. This sector includes professionals from many settings: police departments, fire departments, emergency medical services, and juvenile and adult corrections. Public safety officials are often the first to come into contact with individuals who use drugs and individuals in crisis, and they have the opportunity to connect individuals to essential treatment and recovery services. Public safety partners can help create pathways for individuals to receive care rather than entering the criminal-legal system. They can also provide access to treatment and recovery services for incarcerated individuals.

Priority Projects for FY26 Funding

• Prevention
  • MOOR will prioritize funding for projects that:
    • Address the social determinants of health and protective factors
    • Address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma
    • Support evidence-based prevention
• Harm Reduction
  • MOOR will prioritize funding for projects that:
    • Provide low and no-threshold services that reach people where they are
    • Increase access to risk reduction tools
    • Enhance efforts related to targeted overdose education and naloxone distribution, especially for populations facing a disparate risk of overdose
• Treatment
  • MOOR will prioritize funding for projects that:
    • Increase access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including for people who are incarcerated and people in rural settings
    • Reduce barriers to care, such as lack of transportation or culturally sensitive treatment options
    • Provide holistic care for PWUD/ people with SUD, such as wound care, and HIV/HCV testing and treatment.
• Recovery
  • MOOR will prioritize funding for projects that:
    • Support employment for people in recovery, including Recovery Friendly Workplaces and peer support
    • Enhance community-based recovery supports
• Public Safety
  • MOOR will prioritize funding for projects that:
    • Reduce the health impact of criminal justice involvement
    • Provide connections to community-based services upon reentry.

Funding Information

The funding available for MOOR’s Competitive Grant Program is approximately $6 million.

Grant Period

July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.

Eligibility & Requirements

The following entities are eligible to apply:

• state agencies;
• local government entities (including local school systems); and
• private and not-for-profit community-based partners.
  • Must be a Maryland-based organization benefitting Maryland residents *Recovery residences must admit consumers who are receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in order to be considered for funding.

For more information, visit MOOR.