BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, October 9, 2025) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the timeline and process to apply for Opioid Restitution Fund community grants. The full application for Fiscal Year 2026 Opioid Restitution Fund community grants, including detailed instructions and the submission portal, will be available on October 23, 2025. The Mayor is announcing this timeline today to provide organizations interested in applying with ample time to prepare their submissions.

"After taking on Big Pharma directly for their role in the opioid crisis, today we're announcing the next step forward to deliver these funds to the community organizations doing the work each and every day to tackle this crisis in our city," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "While there is no simple solution to solve this crisis overnight, we will continue to push to save every life that we can, because every overdose is preventable. Together, we can meet our goal of reducing fatal overdose in Baltimore by 40% by 2040. Together, we can build a Baltimore where each and every one of us can thrive."

"These grants not only fit into our broader, citywide overdose response strategy, but in light of the overdose events yesterday and this summer, we know that they are critical to saving lives," said Sara Whaley, Executive Director of the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Overdose Response. "With the guidance of our Restitution Advisory Board, these community grants will build on the City's existing work to address the overdose crisis and help our community-based organizations who do this important work each and every day."

Mayor Scott's August 29, 2024 Executive Order establishing the Opioid Restitution Fund stipulates that community grants should be awarded competitively through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process developed by the Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Overdose Response and the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs and supported by the Restitution Advisory Board. The Restitution Advisory Board is a group of Baltimore City residents with lived experience, service providers, public health experts, and City and State officials who help guide the use of the Opioid Restitution Fund, including by making recommendations to the Mayor for projects to fund with community grants.

In FY 2026, $2 million will be available for community grants. Applications will be accepted for proposals related to three activity tiers:

• Tier 3 (up to $500,000): Increase availability of low-barrier mobile treatment services, specifically in geographic areas that are disproportionately affected by overdose but may not have the necessary number of services to meet the need. Tier 3 funding must include robust harm reduction services.
• Tier 2 (up to $250,000): Increase access to a full array of low-barrier harm reduction services (including naloxone distribution, drug checking, syringe service programs, wound care, and other evidence-based strategies). Tier 2 funding must include robust harm reduction services.
• Tier 1 (up to $50,000): Increase access to low-barrier social support services (i.e., housing, transportation, food assistance, education, and employment) for people who use drugs and people with substance use disorders.

The full RFP with instructions for proposal submissions will be posted on arp.baltimorecity.gov/orf on October 23. The Baltimore City Mayor's Office of Overdose Response and the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs will host two orientations for organizations interested in submitting proposals. These orientations will take place on October 27 at 10:00 A.M. ET and October 28 at 6:00 P.M. ET. Initial proposals for projects will be due on November 23, 2025, and organizations invited to submit full applications will have until January 23, 2026 to do so.

Additional updates regarding the City's use of opioid restitution funds and ongoing response to the overdose crisis can be found here.