OneOhio Recovery Foundation: Region boards up and running; grant schedule released

The OneOhio Memorandum of Understanding established the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, tasked with managing and distributing 55 percent of Ohio’s opioid settlement funds throughout the state. The state has been divided into 19 regions, each with its own board responsible for submitting funding recommendations to the Foundation board. The Foundation board has approved the regional share of grant funding for 2024, and all regional projects endorsed by the Foundation will receive funding from their respective regional shares.Map of the 19 Regions created by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.

At the February 14, 2024, OneOhio Recovery Foundation Grant Oversight Committee meeting, Executive Director Alisha Nelson shared with the Committee that:

• All nineteen regions have their leadership positions filled
• Sixteen have submitted bylaws
• Ten have established funding priorities
• Four have decided against selecting their own funding priorities
• Five are still deciding.

Additionally, the Committee continued its work to finalize the 2024 Regional Grant Request for Proposals (RFP).

On-line resources for Regions and Grants

At the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board meeting, which took place immediately after the Grant Oversight Committee, the Foundation announced the launching of two new webpages on its website. This included the Regions and Grants webpages, which were originally mentioned at the January 24^th Grant Oversight Committee meeting and went live right on time.

Grants portal

The Grants webpage is the Foundation’s grant headquarters and will provide potential applicants with pertinent information, including the 2024 Regional Grant process application schedule, the 2024 Regional Grant Request for Proposals (RFP), access to the grant portal, and other helpful resources as applicants navigate the request process. While much of the information that will eventually be housed on this webpage is still to come as the Grant Oversight Committee is still completing their work, the 2024 Regional Grant Schedule has been released.DateActionMarch 4, 2024RFP posted on Grant webpage & registration opens in the grant portalApril 2, 2024Application window opens in grant portalMay 3, 2024Application submissions due in grant portal by 11:59pm EST.Interested parties should note the dates above and keep a close eye on the Grants webpage as updates will be posted there.

Regions portal includes resources for each of the 19 regions

The Regions webpage is not a singular webpage, but a series of pages that includes information about each region. Each page includes whether the region has a dedicated website, when and where 2024 meetings will be held, contact information for the region, and the region’s board members. The Foundation included all information that has been shared with them, but each region is at a different stage in the process. The table below illustrates what information is available for each region.RegionWebsite or Webpage2024 Meeting(s) PostedLocation of Meetings PostedContact InformationBoard Members Listed1✓✓✓✓2✓✓✓✓✓3✓✓✓✓4✓✓✓5✓✓✓6✓✓✓✓7✓✓✓✓8✓✓✓✓9✓✓✓✓10✓✓✓11✓✓✓✓12✓✓✓✓✓13✓✓✓✓14✓✓✓✓15✓✓✓✓16✓17✓✓✓✓✓18✓✓✓✓✓19✓✓✓✓In late January, Director Nelson announced that the Foundation would be launching the webpages in late January, and Regions began preparations.At that time, some regions had their membership posted publicly; meetings for 2024 scheduled, listed; and were easy to find when doing a Google search. These included:

• Regions 2 (Hamilton County)
• Region 5 (Summit County)
• Region 12 (Coshocton, Muskingum, Guernsey, Perry, Morgan, Noble, Monroe, and Washington Counties)

Other regions clearly post when and where their respective boards meet but have not yet done so for 2024. These included:

• Region 3 (Cuyahoga County)
• Region 18 (Marion, Morrow, Knox, Union, Delaware, Licking, and Fairfield Counties)

Region 17 (Ottawa, Wood, Sandusky, Hancock, Hardin, Wyandot, and Crawford Counties) was the only Region to respond after emailing 5 different Regions at random seeking information.

From a transparency and accessibility perspective, slow action or inaction is concerning when regional board members have already been selected.

What about the remaining 13 regions?

• Region 11 has a website (Holmes, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Columbiana, Jefferson, Harrison, and Belmont Counties) with minimal information
• A handful of regions showed some actions by boards of county commissioners or city councils
• Region 4 (Lucas County) the Lucas County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution on June 28, 2022 supporting the establishment of an endorsement of representatives to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Region 4 Board, the only evidence of Region 4 activities
• A small number of regions demonstrated that they had not met or that any cities, towns, or counties had begun the process of selecting board members

From a transparency and accessibility perspective, slow action or inaction is concerning when regional board members have already been selected.My experience with finding information on the regions makes the creation of this centralized repository for regional information a welcomed addition to the Foundation’s website and is a solid step for ensuring the accessibility of information and facilitating transparency. Additionally, the OneOhio Memorandum of Understanding requires that the Foundation, Expert Panel, and any other entities under the supervision of the Foundation operate in a transparent manner and I believe this webpage works towards meeting this requirement.

Attending a Regional meeting

The Region 12 (Coshocton, Muskingum, Guernsey, Perry, Morgan, Noble, Monroe, and Washington Counties) board meeting took place on February 9^th. The board discussed testimonies that were shared with the board from individuals with lived experience, discussed funding priorities, established their grant proposal reviewers, and decided on the location for future meetings.Overall, the board meeting was easy to find, members were friendly and available to talk to afterwards, and the meetings were well-run. It is clear that Region 12 values public participation and is ready to hit the ground running once the Foundation’s grant proposal application opens.As regions embark on the process of determining recommendations to the Board regarding the allocation of funds within their specific regions, The Center for Community Solutions encourages regions to continue to engage in a transparent approach that encourages public engagement. Community Solutions will continue to monitor Regional board meetings and the Foundation’s progress in addressing the opioid epidemic as the Foundation’s grantmaking official begins this year.