November 13, 2024 - OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUND BOARD HOLDS PUBLIC MEETING
Directors of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization charged with helping distribute Ohio’s opioid settlement funds to advance substance-use prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts, held their final full board meeting of the year on November 13, 2024, at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus.
After a brief executive session, Board Chair Don Mason opened the Board’s public meeting with words of appreciation for all those involved with assessing and awarding the Foundation’s initial round of grants. “Putting the first dollars to work in local hands, where we expect they will have a very direct impact on hard-hit communities, has been a special moment for everyone with a role in this process,” Mason said. “We’ll see that excitement repeated into the future as we continue to invest Ohio’s opioid settlement funds in support of substance-use prevention, treatment, and recovery across the state.”
Following Chair Mason’s opening remarks, the Board’s “Mission Moment” recognized the many contributions of the OneOhio Expert Panel. Since February, the group met bi-monthly to support the Foundation’s inaugural grant cycle and has been instrumental in guiding the Foundation’s work to ensure grants awarded are supported by evidence and aligned with the abatement strategies. Throughout the grant process, each Expert Panel member reviewed approximately 100 grants recommended by the 19 OneOhio Regions. The Board of Directors thanked this committed, passionate, and talented group of volunteers for their work to advance OneOhio’s mission and save lives. Current OneOhio Expert Panel members include Lovell Custard, Deb Flores, Dr. Jon Sprague, Stefanie Robinson, Dr. Zili Sloboda, Dr. Kim Sperber and Dr. Christine Wilder.
Pictured L-R: Sarah Anstine, OneOhio Director of Partnership and Outreach; Don Mason, Board Chair; Julie Ehemann, Board Vice Chair; Dr. Kim Sperber, Expert Panel Member; Deb Flores, Expert Panel Member; Lovell Custard, Expert Panel Member; Alisha Nelson, OneOhio Executive Director
New Grant Approvals
The Board gave preliminary approval for 14 additional grant awards totaling more than $2.1 million, authorizing Foundation staff to negotiate and finalize grant agreements with recipient organizations before grant monies are officially approved for release.
New approvals by OneOhio Region are as follows:
Region 3: Two (2) applications totaling $358,616
Region 6: One (1) application totaling $136,435.87
Region 7: Two (2) applications totaling $861,585
Region 8: Two (2) applications totaling $270,000
Region 9: One (1) application totaling $90,000
Region 15: Three (3) applications totaling $233,000
Region 17: One (1) application totaling $65,866
Region 18: Two (2) applications totaling $173,000
These latest grant approvals build upon earlier action taken by the board this fall to approve awards as part of the Foundation’s inaugural round of funding, reflecting the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to using Ohio’s opioid settlement funds to advance evidence-based substance use prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.
Additional Board Updates & Actions
In other business, the Board of Directors:
Received the Executive Director Report from Alisha Nelson, which focused on progress made in 2024 to positively impact Ohioans affected by the addiction epidemic. In addition to reviewing key findings from the Foundation’s inaugural grant cycle, staff shared OneOhio Region feedback related to the first grant review process and provided an update on strategic planning efforts underway as the Foundation prepares for 2025.
Received the Personnel Committee Report from Committee Chair Julie Ehemann.
Received the Audit and Finance Committee Report from Chair Mason and Foundation staff, which included approval of the October 2024 financial report and 2025 operating budget.
Received the Executive Committee Report from Board Chair Mason, who presented the Board’s 2025 meeting calendar.
The next public meeting of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors will be held virtually on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. To watch the virtual meeting or access related documents, visit: OneOhioFoundation.com/Meetings.
