Washington County to fund organizations, individuals with programs to address opioid use
Nonprofits and individuals with ideas about how to address opioid use in Washington County, listen up!
Washington County is now seeking programming that finds solutions to persistent problems related to the opioid crisis. A total of up to $800,000 will be awarded for projects funded through this round of applications. The submission deadline to apply for community-based initiatives is Oct 2.
“This is a spot of good news. There were large settlements that came from pharmaceutical companies that fueled the opioid crisis. In Minnesota, local jurisdictions including Washington County receive money from that settlement. The money we receive locally is used for strategies that help support people and address the opioid issue in the county,” said Sean Young-Stephens, program coordinator with with Washington County Public Health and Environment.
Eligible projects must serve Washington County community members and fall into one or more categories outlined in the application. Examples include Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) treatment, harm reduction services, and evidence-based primary prevention programs.
“Applicants can be organizations involved in this work or community members who have an idea they want to start. There’s a whole list of potential strategies that can be funded,” Young-Stephens said.
In 2024, Washington County created its Opioid Settlement Council to provide leadership and guidance on its opioid settlement spending. Composed of community members, professional experts, and people with lived experience, the council determines how to best use the money to stem the opioid crisis locally.
“Knowledge is what has been the major driving factor in curbing this crisis and saving lives,” said Alicia House, a member of the Washington County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council member.
The grant process is specifically designed to be accessible to a wide variety of potential applicants.
“We’ve worked hard to streamline it; this year it’s easier than ever. Anyone familiar with traditional RFP (Request for Proposal) processes might be used to long burdensome proposals. We are trying not to do that. Ours is a simple online form, with questions about the proposed project, its budget, timeline and goals,” Young-Stephens said.
“I was pretty vocal about how can we make this low barrier,” House added. “My hope is that people who have never applied before or are new or have been doing this work but haven’t been funded would consider allowing us to get to know them and funding them and the work that they do. That’s what this money is for.”
To learn more and to apply for grant funding for the 2027 round of funding, go to
Once again, the application process is open until Oct 2.
