ONEOHIO RECOVERY FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.04 MILLION FOR 7 LOCAL PROJECTS TO ADVANCE PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY IN REGION 12

COLUMBUS, OH – Seven projects focused on saving lives, preventing substance use disorder, expanding access to treatment, supporting recovery, and strengthening community resilience in Region 12, which includes Coshocton, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry and Washington counties, have been awarded a combined $1.04 million through the OneOhio Recovery Foundation's Regional Grant Cycle 2. The seven awards support locally driven, evidence-informed work that responds to the local impacts of substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions, putting opioid settlement dollars to work where they can make a meaningful difference. 

Ohio's opioid settlement dollars are most powerful when they reach the organizations and communities closest to the work of prevention, treatment and recovery, said Alisha Nelson, Executive Director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. 

“These grants will help local organizations respond to the many ways that substance use disorder affects individuals and families,” Nelson said. “The funding supports practical work to keep children connected to family, help young people build resilience, and connect adults with housing, reentry services, and coordinated care.” 

Local communities know their own needs, and these new awards reflect the priorities identified by local partners across the region, said Gracee Poorman, OneOhio Region 12 Board Chair. 

“Across our counties, families often face several challenges at once, and the right support can keep those challenges from becoming a crisis,” Poorman said. “These investments will strengthen prevention, protect family connections, and help residents overcome barriers to treatment, housing, and successful reentry.” 

In total, Regional Grant Cycle 2 makes up to $45.7 million available across the state. Project funding directly serves people with substance use disorder, including those with co-occurring mental health conditions, as well as family members affected by substance use disorder, according to purposes approved by the OneOhio Memorandum of Understanding. 

Region 12 Grant Awards 

Ascend Innovations, Inc.: $51,000 for the Region 12 Recovery Board Digital Crisis Infrastructure Enhancement Project to align community datasets and add Familiar Faces and Population dashboards to improve service design, crisis response, outpatient treatment engagement, and care coordination. 

Coshocton County Department of Job and Family Services: $169,751 for Kinnect to Family Worker to add a dedicated worker to expand family search and engagement, identify kinship placements, and reduce trauma by helping children maintain family connections and stability. 

Guernsey County Children Services: $206,029 for a Family Preservation and Placement Support Manager to identify kinship placements, help children remain safely at home, when possible, prepare families for reunification, locate treatment-level foster homes, and reduce unnecessary residential placements and time spent in residential care. 

Project Ready Community Reentry Coalition: $299,796 for Restoring Returning Ohioans to provide a single point of access to coordinated, trauma-informed reentry services for justice-involved adults with substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions, including case management, treatment referrals, housing support, transportation, court navigation, and basic-needs assistance. 

SOCC Foundation, Inc.: $92,300 for the LifeSkills Youth Prevention Program to deliver evidence-based LifeSkills Training to sixth grade students in participating school districts, strengthening decision-making, refusal skills, and social-emotional competencies before substance use typically begins. 

The Ohio State University Foundation: $162,908 for Strengthening Prevention Capacity and Youth Resilience in Region 12 to use OSU Extension's school, family, and community interventions to strengthen youth resilience, family support, and community protective factors while building sustainable prevention capacity in Morgan, Noble, and Perry counties. 

Washington County Homeless Project: $54,000 for OneOhio Funding Inquiry Cycle #2: The Washington County Homeless Project to support a Homeless-Landlord Liaison to recruit landlords willing to rent to people with mental health conditions or substance use disorder and provide one-on-one assistance to help people experiencing homelessness secure and retain stable housing. 

Together, these awards will help children remain connected to family, expand youth prevention, improve behavioral health data and care coordination, support people returning from incarceration and help more residents secure stable housing. 

All grant awards were approved by the OneOhio Board of Directors following a robust, multi-step process designed to ensure local input, integrity, accountability, and alignment with OneOhio's approved purposes. The Foundation is working with approved organizations to complete the grant agreement process and move funding into communities across Ohio. Grants are contingent on a fully executed grant agreement. 

For Regional Grant Cycle 2, applicants first submitted Funding Inquiries through the OneOhio Grant Portal. Eligible inquiries were reviewed by Regional Grant Review Committees, and selected applicants were invited to submit Technical Applications. Where applicable, submissions were reviewed by the OneOhio Expert Panel to ensure alignment with evidence and the OneOhio MOU. Successful applications were then reviewed by Foundation staff and the Grant Oversight Committee, with final funding decisions made by the Board of Directors. 

Regional Grant Cycle 2 builds on the Foundation's inaugural grant cycle, which awarded more than $45 million to 245 projects statewide. That first round supported a broad mix of strategies, including youth prevention initiatives, school-based mental health supports, recovery housing, treatment expansion, post-overdose outreach, peer support, supports for children and families affected by substance use disorder, and workforce development for the behavioral health field. 

Grant recipients must submit biannual programmatic and financial reports, and the Foundation may request supplemental information or conduct site visits or virtual meetings as needed. These requirements reflect the Foundation's commitment to ensuring that every dollar is used responsibly and produces measurable and lasting impact. 

A complete list of approved grant recipients can be found at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards. Additional awards may be announced as projects complete the review and approval process. Organizations interested in future funding opportunities should visit OneOhioFoundation.com/Grants and sign up for updates from the Foundation.