Rutherford County Opioid Settlement Grant

Rutherford County Opioid Settlement Grant is sponsored by Rutherford Opioid Board (administered through the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Rutherford County Opioid Settlement: Application Cycle – The Center for Health and Human Services Shaping a healthier future and advancing the health and well-being of Tennesseans The Center for Health and Human Services Rutherford County Opioid Settlement: Application Cycle In 2022, Rutherford County experienced 130 fatal overdoses, a 37% increase from 2019.

To respond to this need, Rutherford County established the Rutherford Opioid Board in 2022 to oversee strategic dissemination of opioid abatement funds to repair and strengthen the community. These funds are provided to counties in Tennessee as part of a $26 billion national opioid lawsuit involving pharmaceutical distributors and a manufacturer, with Tennessee receiving $700 million in anticipated payouts over 18 years from 2021-2038.

With Rutherford County expecting to receive nearly $4. 5 million in opioid abatement dollars from 2023-2026, the Rutherford Opioid Board established the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery to assist the county in evidence-based utilization of settlement dollars and to serve as a resource to other Tennessee counties.

Rutherford County has directed these funds as available for community and government organizations to apply for on a rolling basis to meet needs pertaining to local work addressing opioid use disorder. Organizations interested in applying for these funds can access the online application below and review instructions on requirements for submission.

2026 Rutherford Opioid Board Request for Proposals Download Request Application Access HERE Application Guidance & Checklist Use the section below to ensure all sections of your application have been completed prior to submission. Significant Changes for 2026 The Rutherford Opioid Board has enacted some changes to their funding approach for the 2026 application period.

Funding has been capped at a $100,000 maximum award Agencies may request funding up to $100,000, with the understanding that the Board reserves the right to modify their budget according to allowable funding uses, available funding to allocate, performance of prior grant periods, and if this is a new or existing program.

While funding from these settlements will continue through 2038, the level of funding being allocated to the county is anticipated to decrease over time. This is because funding allocations are tied to overdose data, and as Rutherford County continues making headway in reducing overdoses and related deaths, that means that available funding will decrease as the overdose rates decrease.

Due to this incremental decrease in funding, it is imperative for agencies to seek long-term funding elsewhere to sustain their programs. Prioritization of new projects or programs The Board has established a preference to prioritize funding consideration for new programs and projects.

This prioritization will not exclude consideration of programs currently funded under ROB, however it is intended that returning program requests seek sustaining funding through other sources. By prioritizing newer programs from applicants, the hope is that the capacity of the Recovery Continuum will be expanded through new program development as ongoing programs seek state opioid abatement funding for long-term support.

Online Application Portal The application process for 2026 has transitioned to a fully online web-based submission portal. You must request access to the application portal through the request form above. All elements of the application must be submitted through that portal for all nonprofit requests.

** Internal Rutherford County government requests must reach out to opsr@mtsu. edu for their separate submission guidance. This narrative of the proposal is separated into seven sections.

Applicants are asked to describe the population served, identify the need that you will address, outline the goals and objectives used to measure success, identify evidence-based practices for implementation, outline how to measure progress and success, explain your organization’s capacity to achieve your goals, and how your organization plans to sustain programming as ROB funding diminishes over time.

This detailed budget breakdown with description of line items, any in-kind support from the agency, and budget justification for each line item requested. Access the Project Budget template HERE.

Organizations that submit an application must attach the following documents with their submission: Budgeted Revenues and Expenses for the Current Year Budgeted Revenues and Expenses for the Prior Year Actual Revenue and Expenses for the Prior Year Rutherford County Fund Monitoring Form: Compliance Survey Salary Schedule (if proposing grant funding for salary position) 501 (c)(3) Determination Letter (if applicable) Letters of Support (if applicable) The Office of Prevention Science and Recovery will host multiple presentations preceding the application due date.

Recorded Online Webinar: https://youtu. be/oapHYGiSTEA download presentation slides here. In-Person Training: February 26th, at 2:00pm .

Smyrna Public Library (Multipurpose Room) In-Person Training: March 2nd, 10:00am . Technology Engagement Center All application awards are not final until approved by the Rutherford County Commission. Additionally, the Rutherford Opioid Board and Rutherford County Commission reserve the right to modify this timeline as needed.

Use the resources below to help inform and strengthen your application prior to submission. Tennessee Opioid Abatement & Remediation Uses This list outlines allowable uses with Rutherford County Opioid Settlement funding stratified by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council’s six main strategies. All activities outlined in an organization’s proposal must be found from this list.

Access the Tennessee Opioid Abatement & Remediation Use list HERE. S. M.

A. R. T.

Goal Development Guidance This resource provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) outlines how to develop strong goals concerning programs related to substance use and can help applicants strengthen goals for their application. Access the S. M.

A. R. T.

Goal Development Guidance resource HERE. Evidence-Based Strategies Guidance This resource developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines ten rising evidence-based practices for preventing opioid overdose in the United States. Applicants can refer to this resource to incorporate evidence-based practices within their grant application.

Access the Evidence-Based Strategies Guidance resource HERE. Evaluation Metrics Guidance To assist with providing examples of strong evaluation metrics for prospective applicants, this resource outlines example metrics within each of the six main strategy categories that includes allowable uses of grant funds.

Applicants are not required to choose from this list for their metrics used in their application, rather these are just examples. Access the Evaluation Metrics Guidance HERE. Proposals will be reviewed and scored by a committee from the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery.

Proposals will be evaluated based upon the proven ability of the applicant to meet the goals of the project description in a cost-effective manner with a maximum of 100 points available. This in-depth rubric outlines the breakdown of eligible points that can be awarded per application section and the standards use to compute that score. Frequently Asked Questions What organizations are eligible to apply?

When is the deadline to apply? Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm on March 31, 2026 with proposals being voted on by the Rutherford Opioid Board in May and June. The funding period for all requests will begin July 1st and will end by June 30th to align with the county’s fiscal year.

What are the permitted uses of the grant funds? Proposed activities in the funding request must be permitted from the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council’s Approved Remediation List of activities. How long would the grant period last if I were to be awarded funding?

All grants will be awarded within the timeline of the Rutherford County fiscal year. Once an organization is voted to receive a grant award, that organization will receive funding for the remainder of the fiscal year, unless otherwise specified by the Rutherford County Commission. Rutherford County operates on a fiscal year schedule that begins July 1st and ends June 30th.

When will our organization hear back on if we were awarded funding? The Rutherford Opioid Board will vote at the May & June meetings to make funding determinations according to the application cycle. Following the ROB’s decision to award funding, grant awards will need to be approved by the Rutherford County Commission’s Budget Committee and the full County Commission.

These other local approvals will delay the timing of directly receiving grant funds from the County by up to four weeks following the ROB vote. What are the reporting requirements if we were awarded funding? Grantees are required to submit evaluation metric updates quarterly based upon the specific data points cited in their grant proposal.

This data will be submitted to the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery (OPSR) quarterly. The OPSR team will work individually with each organization to track success of their grant program to report back to the Rutherford Opioid Board.

Organizations are also responsible for tracking spending of grant funding throughout their grant term to provide documentation to Rutherford County at the conclusion of their grant term of all grant funds being entirely allocated. Are we required to have Commercial Liability Insurance or Professional Services Liability to apply?

If organizations are awarded funding by the ROB, they will need to complete an Opioid Abatement Service Provider Agreement with Rutherford County. In this agreement, it is required for organizations to possess Commercial Liability Insurance with limits of liability not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in annual aggregate coverage.

The agreement also requires a minimum amount of Professional Services Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. Organizations are not required to possess these levels of insurance/liability to apply, but will need to meet the scope of services in this agreement to receive their allocation of ROB grant funding.

Rutherford Opioid Settlement Grantees Below you can view all grantees from the 2025-2026 Rutherford County fiscal year stratified by their identified opioid abatement strategy.

Prevention Strategy Grantees Endure Athletics : View Mid-Year Report Graceful Gems : View Mid-Year Report Interfaith Dental Clinic : View Mid-Year Report Prevention Coalition for Success : View Mid-Year Report Rutherford County School District Treatment Strategy Grantees H. U.S.T. L.

E.

Recovery : View Mid-Year Report Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System : View Mid-Year Report Recovery Strategy Grantees Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County : View Mid-Year Report Community Helpers of Rutherford County : View Mid-Year Report Kymari House : View Mid-Year Report Murfreesboro Cold Patrol : View Mid-Year Report Recovery is the New High : View Mid-Year Report Renewed Life Ministries Outreach : View Mid-Year Report Rutherford County Probation Services : View Mid-Year Report The Journey Home : View Mid-Year Report Threshold Recovery : View Mid-Year Report Thriving Together TN: View Mid-Year Report Rutherford Opioid Board News 2023 Rutherford Opioid Board Impact This 2-page resource highlights the impact that the ROB accomplished locally during the year 2023 through opioid abatement funded grant projects across the county.

Access the 2023 Rutherford Opioid Board Impact Report HERE. This report highlights areas of need within Rutherford County and outlines five areas of priority the Rutherford Opioid Board seeks to address through distribution of opioid abatement funding.