ONEOHIO RECOVERY FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.85 MILLION FOR 12 LOCAL PROJECTS TO ADVANCE PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY IN REGION 18

COLUMBUS – Twelve projects aimed at saving lives, preventing substance use disorder, expanding access to treatment, supporting recovery and strengthening community resilience in Delaware, Fairfield, Knox, Licking, Marion, Morrow and Union counties have been awarded a combined $1.85 million through the OneOhio Recovery Foundation's Regional Grant Cycle 2. The twelve 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 awards recognize that substance use disorder affects entire families and communities, not only the individual seeking care,” Nelson said. “By supporting children and caregivers, strengthening crisis services and opening pathways to employment and stability, these investments create a broader foundation for recovery across seven counties.” 

Local communities know their own needs, and these new awards reflect the priorities identified by local partners across the region, said Tim Bubb, OneOhio Region 18 Board Chair. 

“Our region includes growing communities, rural areas and county systems with different resources, but families face many of the same pressures,” Bubb said. “These grants will help local partners connect wraparound care, youth prevention, legal assistance, job training and medication support so residents receive help that addresses the whole picture.” 

In total, Regional Grant Cycle 2 makes $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 18 Grant Awards 

Ascend Innovations, Inc.: $37,500 for The Fairfield ADAMH Board Digital Crisis Infrastructure Enhancement Project, which will implement behavioral health crisis notifications to improve crisis response, outpatient engagement and care coordination in Fairfield County. 

Buckeye Ridge Habitat for Humanity, Inc.: $150,000 for Workforce Under Construction Training Initiative, which will provide paid, on-the-job construction training, accountability and support for participants in the Marion County Drug and Re-Entry Court. 

Connexion West: $224,776 for Connexion Cafe, which will create a culinary job-training program using a food truck and commissary kitchen, helping participants earn certifications and move toward sustainable employment. 

Council for Union County Families: $245,000 for Mental Health and Recovery Board of Union County, which will provide High-Fidelity Wraparound services for youth affected by substance use, mental health challenges and family instability. 

Delaware County Family and Children First Council: $223,361 for Family-Centered Wraparound Services for Substance-Impacted Households, which will provide coordinated wraparound services for children affected by parental substance use and help families build stability and resilience. 

Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio: $200,000 for Justice for Recovery, which will provide civil legal services, outreach and advocacy that remove barriers to economic stability and long-term recovery. 

OhioGuidestone: $260,000 for Support for Crisis Beds for Persons Facing Substance Use Disorders, which will support crisis beds for uninsured or underinsured people with substance use disorder or co-occurring mental health conditions. 

Prevention Action Alliance: $199,252 for Resilient Families: Kinship Caregiver Support Program, which will equip kinship caregivers and family educators with evidence-based prevention strategies, trauma-informed resources, and accessible digital tools. 

Syntero, Inc.: $85,960 for Youth-Led Peer Prevention Programming in Rural Schools, which will implement youth-led peer prevention in rural schools to reduce substance use and suicide risk and strengthen protective factors. 

Touchpointe Marriage & Family Resources: $50,000 for Healing Knox County, which will provide job-readiness training, continued coaching and mentorship for people facing barriers to employment. 

West Central Community Correctional Facility: $100,000 for West Central MOUD, which will continue medication for opioid use disorder for eligible residents entering the correctional facility. 

West Central Community Correctional Facility: $70,000 for West Central Vocational Services Training Program, which will expand vocational training capacity and skill-building options for men and women at the correctional facility. 

Together, these awards will support children and caregivers, improve crisis response and continuity of medication treatment, and expand legal, employment and prevention services across seven counties. 

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. 

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