Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced a notice of funding availability for a $25 million grant through the Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC or the Council) to distribute naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses, to communities hit by the opioid crisis.
Texas governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and entities conducting business in Texas are eligible to apply for this funding. A grant will be awarded to one applicant to implement the program statewide, and applicants may use qualified subcontractors or subgrantees to help implement the program regionally. The OAFC will accept applications for funding through its grant management system from April 10 through May 7. An informational webinar will be hosted on March 14.
“I encourage eligible entities to apply for this crucial funding to help the state of Texas respond to the opioid crisis,” said Hegar, chair of the OAFC. “With fentanyl continuing to flow across our southern border and the federal government working against Texas efforts to secure that border, making naloxone available in areas with greatest need while balancing the Council’s regional and targeted requirements has significant potential to prevent opioid-related overdoses. Given the tragic trend of fentanyl poisonings occurring across Texas, especially among school-aged youth, wide availability of naloxone can literally save lives.”
The Texas Legislature formed the OAFC in 2021 to ensure money recovered through the joint efforts of the state and its political subdivisions from statewide opioid settlement agreements is allocated fairly and spent to remediate the opioid crisis using efficient, cost-effective methods. The OAFC is made up of 13 appointed experts and Hegar as the non-voting presiding officer.
Last year, Hegar announced a first-round payment of $47.1 million to political subdivisions from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund to address opioid-related harms in their communities. Additionally, Hegar transferred $5 million to the Texas Access to Justice Foundation to provide civil legal aid to Texans personally harmed by the opioid crisis.