August 4, 2025

Opioid Abatement Authority Announces over $14 Million in Awards to Virginia’s State Agencies

August 4, 2025 – On Friday August 1, 2025, the Grants Committee of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) awarded $14,054,131 in opioid settlement funds to eighteen different agencies of the Commonwealth for opioid abatement and remediation efforts.

Under a statute that was passed into law in 2021, a minimum of 15% of opioid settlement funds deposited to the Opioid Abatement Fund (administered by the OAA) is to be spent on abatement efforts managed by state agencies.

“These awards and partnerships between the OAA and various state agencies, which include seven of Virginia’s public universities, will continue robust efforts in prevention and education, research, treatment, and support for people in recovery. Virginia continues to lead the nation in smart and targeted investments across the spectrum of solutions to combat the opioid crisis and support long-term recovery,” said Senator Todd Pillion, Chair of the Opioid Abatement Authority.” Funding for these projects is scheduled to be transferred from the OAA to the recipient agencies as early as October 1.

The August 1 list of awards (attached) approved by the OAA includes $9.4 million to renew previously awarded projects for another year, and $4.6 million in funding for new projects. The awarded projects were selected through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process. The resulting awards are the third allocation of OAA funds for state agencies.

To date, OAA awards are funding more than 164 active projects across the Commonwealth. Dr. Sarah Thomason, a clinical pharmacist who chairs the OAA’s Grants Committee and serves as vice chair of the OAA Board of Directors, emphasized the importance of investing in evidence-based strategies, “Throughout my career, I have seen the direct impact that evidence-based programs can have on individuals and families affected by opioid use disorder,” she said. “Awarding these settlement funds in this manner is crucial to improving the lives of those individuals and communities still bearing the weight of this epidemic.”

During 2023 and 2024, the OAA awarded a total of $47,156,502 to Virginia’s cities and counties, and $19,494,634 to state agencies for efforts to abate and remediate the opioid crisis. Details of those prior year projects are detailed in the OAA’s 2024 Annual Report. Combining those past year totals with the $32,614,372 in awards to cities and counties announced in June, and today’s $14,054,131, the OAA has awarded over $113 million in awards to date.

Funding for the OAA grants and awards is a result of Virginia’s participation in numerous national settlements from manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other organizations in the sphere of prescription opioids. The payments, which began in 2022, from the various settling companies are expected to exceed $1.1 billion in total funding and are expected to conclude by 2041.

The OAA was established by the General Assembly in 2021 to oversee the distribution of 55% of Virginia’s total settlement funds. Of the remainder, 30% is distributed directly to cities and counties, and the remaining 15% to the Commonwealth. The use of funds is restricted by court orders and state statute, with the restrictions requiring that funds be used for opioid abatement and remediation efforts.

For more information contact info@voaa.us

Awarded Projects for Agencies of the Commonwealth
(Click the link under the “Project Title” column to view additional details)

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)

Total Recommendation: $680,613

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Unrestricted	Total Recommended
Recovery High School	2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Substance Use Data Analyst	3	$34,128	$114,985	$0	$149,113
Judicial Substance Use Training Program	3	$0	$146,500	$0	$146,500
Virginia Recovery Corps	2	$0	$385,000	$0	$385,000

 

Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC)

Total Recommendation: $1,156,247

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Unrestricted	Total Recommended
Medication Assisted Treatment Social Workers at MAT Pilot Institutions	3	$58,673	$927,654	$0	$986,327
Reentry Wellness Kit Contents	N/A	N/A	$0	$0	$0
Naloxone Distribution for Probationers	1	N/A	$0	$169,920	$169,920

 

Virginia Department of Education (DOE)

Total Recommendation: $1,078,950

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Opioid Abatement Education Plan (OAEP)	3	$40,000	$520,250	$560,250
Virginia Recovery Schools Technical Assistance and Grant Program	1	N/A	$518,700	$518,700

 

Virginia Department of Health (VDH)

Total Recommendation: $3,282,391

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Comprehensive Harm Reduction	3	$94,196	$905,804	$1,000,000
Naloxone Distribution Program Infrastructure	3	$328,522	$298,067	$626,589
Local Opioid Use Disorder Coordinators	3	$59,898	$246,144	$306,042
Overdose Prevention Strategist – West Piedmont Health District	2	$56,726	$27,142	$83,868
Naloxone Purchase	3	$0	$500,000	$500,000
Coordinating Local and Regional Overdose Review Teams	2	$84,657	$49,805	$134,462
Harm Reduction for Pregnant Women Pilot Project	1	N/A	$631,430	$631,430
State Adaptation of Pregnancy & Substance Use A Harm Reduction Toolkit	N/A	N/A	$0	$0
Expansion of Emergency Discharge Data	N/A	N/A	$0	$0

 

Department of Health Professions (DHP)

Total Recommendation: $361,219

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Integration of Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) into Clinical Workflows	3	$0	$361,219	$361,219

 

Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)

Total Recommendation: $1,050,000

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Discharge Bridge Program	3	$75,000	$975,000	$1,050,000

 

Department of Social Services (DSS)

Total Recommendation: $702,247

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Expand Kinship Care Navigators	3	$0	$411,000	$411,000
211 Opioid Reduction Registry (ORR)	2	$0	$291,247	$291,247

 

George Mason University (GMU)

Total Recommendation: $200,000

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Bridge MOUD Warm Line Pilot Project	1	N/A	$200,000	$200,000

 

Office of the Attorney General (OAG)

Total Recommendation: $500,000

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Opioid and Fentanyl Prevention Awareness Campaign	3	$0	$500,000	$500,000

 

Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia (OES)

Total Recommendation: $563,091

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State (Recommended)	Total Recommended
Statewide Universal Drug Testing Contract	3	$63,091	$500,000	$563,091
GAIN-SS Assessment Tool Project	N/A	N/A	$0	$0

 

Radford University

Total Recommendation: $367,408

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Unrestricted	Total Recommended
Healing, Outreach, Prevention, and Empowerment (Project HOPE)	3	$109,200	$258,208	$0	$367,408

 

University of Mary Washington (UMW)

Total Recommendation: $104,227

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Unrestricted	Total Recommended
Supporting Student Well-Being and Recovery at the University of Mary Washington	1	N/A	$104,227	$0	$104,227

 

University of Virginia (UVA)

Total Recommendation: $642,076

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Total
COSMOS (Community Outreach and Support for Management of SUD)	2	$80,136	$215,075	$295,211
Street Medicine Access Reduction and Treatment(SMART) Clinic	3	$77,376	$269,489	$346,865

 

Virginia Cooperative Extension Service (Virginia Tech)

Total Recommendation: $1,044,001

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Total
Virginia Cooperative Extension Service	3	$129,360	$788,328	$917,688
Virginia Tech Recovery Community: Fostering a Recovery Integrated Campus	1	N/A	$126,313	$126,313

 

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Total Recommendation: $1,130,330

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Total
Virginia Opioid Toolkit	3	$0	$240,045	$240,045
Massey Cancer Center at VCU Health	3	$55,224	$139,776	$195,000
Virginia Naloxone Project	2	$0	$511,661	$511,661
Fast Track to Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC)	2	$0	$90,296	$90,296
RAMS in Recovery Scholars	2	$0	$93,328	$93,328
Innovating Digital Tools to Foster a Culture of Health for Individuals with OUD	N/A	N/A	$0	$0

 

Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Total Recommendation: $1,740,000

Project Title	Grant Year	PP25–26 State	Total Recommended
Deadly Dose – Statewide Fentanyl and Overdose Mapping Campaign (Phase 3)	1	$1,600,000	$1,600,000
Expanding Access to Dangers of Fentanyl Lesson	1	$140,000	$140,000

 

Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC)

Total Recommendation: $505,533

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Total Recommended
Re-Entry and Recovery Specialist Program	3	$239,082	$266,451	$505,533

 

Virginia State University (VSU)

Total Recommendation: $661,969

Project Title	Grant Year	Carryforward	PP25–26 State	Total Recommended
Healthful Engagement for Support, Treatment, Recovery, and Interventions	2	$102,144	$255,589	$357,733
Leveraging Workforce Needs	2	$15,598	$47,271	$62,869
Mobilization of Access for Underserved and Marginalized Communities	2	$71,832	$169,534	$241,366