August 13, 2025 - OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUND BOARD HOLDS PUBLIC MEETING

At its August meeting today, the Board of Directors of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation—Ohio’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit responsible for overseeing the distribution of 55% of the state’s opioid settlement funds—voted unanimously to approve a $40 million regional grants budget to fund the next round of prevention, treatment, and recovery grants across the state. The Board also received an update on the strong evaluation and reporting progress from the first grant cycle, launched last year.

“As we move into the next grant round, we remain laser-focused on getting Ohio’s settlement dollars to the people and communities most affected by the opioid epidemic, while also helping to prevent future addiction crises,” said Don Mason, Chair of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board. “Today’s approval of the next regional grants budget and rigorous review of the first grant cycle’s evaluation and reporting progress demonstrate the Foundation’s unwavering commitment to both impact and accountability.”

To open the meeting, Board Chair Don Mason noted that August 31 is Overdose Awareness Day and September 1 marks the start of Recovery Month, which will be a key focus of the Board’s next meeting. Directors then heard a “Mission Moment” presentation from Kaci Warren with the Greene County Health Department, highlighting this OneOhio Region 14 grantee’s work to expand harm reduction efforts in the community.

In key business, Audit and Finance Committee Chair Evan Kleymeyer presented the budget for Regional Grant Cycle #2. In June, the Board authorized $40 million for the next grant round. The budget, unanimously approved at today’s meeting, detailed the funding available to each region. Regional allocations were calculated using formulas from the opioid settlement agreements and included any carryover funds from Regional Grant Cycle #1, where applicable. With these carryover funds, the total budget for Regional Grant Cycle #2 is roughly $300,000 more than what was awarded in the first grant round.

The Board also heard a progress update on the evaluation and reporting of the first round of grants from Tom Gregoire, Chair of the Grant Oversight Committee, and Gretchen Hammond of Mighty Crow, the Foundation’s grant reporting consultant. While July 31 was just the first of several required reporting deadlines for grantees, nearly all of the 245 projects submitted their first-round reports on time, reflecting strong accountability and engagement with grantees across the state.

In other business, Board members:

• Voted to appoint Dr. Richard Whitney to serve on the OneOhio Expert Panel.

• Voted to approve the unaudited May and June financial statements and received an update on the 2024 audit process.

• Received a report from Investment Committee Chair Jim White on the development of an RFP to identify an investment advisor to support the Foundation’s long-term investment strategy into the future.

• Received an Executive Director’s report from Alisha Nelson, who provided a recap of the Foundation’s busy second quarter, as well as ongoing work to help the 19 OneOhio Regions prepare for the next grant round.

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors’ next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the County Commissioners Association of Ohio offices, 209 E. State St., Columbus.