State of Minnesota Continues Opioid fight with $15 million in new grants

New state grants will build on Minnesota’s recent progress in addressing opioid abuse.

Grants totaling $15 million will expand services for people suffering from opioid use disorder and make it easier to get help. The Minnesota Department of Human Services will award grants to 23 organizations recommended by the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council.

This funding follows several encouraging developments in the fight against opioid abuse. In 2023, for the third year in a row, more people went to treatment for opioid use disorder treatment, according to the Minnesota Department of Health’s Drug Overdose Dashboard. Also in 2023, fatal overdoses caused by opioids dropped for the first time in five years. The decline was particularly notable in rural Minnesota.

“While these signs of progress are encouraging, the opioid crisis continues to touch every corner of our state,” said Temporary Human Services Commissioner Shireen Gandhi. “There is still much work to do. With the possibility of federal funding cuts, these new grants are more important than ever to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to lifesaving services and support.”

In another development supporting Minnesota’s commitment to public reporting of all opioid settlement spending, the Opioid Epidemic Response Spending Dashboard now includes 2024 data. The dashboard tracks investments to mitigate the harm of the opioid epidemic since 2019. Public reporting supports transparency and helps the council, local governments and other policymakers identify needs.

In the current round of opioid grants, over $4.5 million will help expand and enhance the continuum of care for opioid-related substance use disorders. More than $3 million each will go to harm reduction initiatives, and workforce development programs and training. The new funding will also support programs that focus on primary prevention and education, as well as chronic pain and alternative treatments.

The investments will help address gaps in Minnesota’s continuum of care for Native people and people of color with opioid use disorder, while providing significant harm reduction services to diverse communities.

“Access to high-quality, culturally relevant care is essential for anyone who needs treatment for opioid use disorder,” said Joe Clubb, chair of the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council. “This funding expansion will help reduce harm by connecting Minnesotans with the care they need.”

Organizations receiving grants serve the Twin Cities metropolitan area, greater Minnesota and Tribal Nations. Some grantees provide services statewide. For a full list of grantees and activities, view this overview of 2025 grantees (PDF).

The current awards are the fourth set of grants recommended by the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council. The Department of Human Services and the council requested proposals in June 2024. After extensive review, the council recommended the current grants. The Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council will announce additional funding recommendations and begin soliciting proposals for new funding soon.

To learn more about the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council and Minnesota’s fight against opioid addiction, visit the council’s home page.

Below are the organizations receiving funding and activities being funded:

Twin Cities metropolitan area

• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation received $1,160,715. Project: Cultural Outreach, Assessment, and Services for Underserved Karen and Hmong Communities. Wilder Recovery Services will expand its culturally based, in-language Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder services for Karen and Hmong adults/adolescents. Staff will provide outreach, assessments, outpatient services, treatment coordination, and peer support to Ramsey County locations where this population is most vulnerable.

• Fulcrum Health, Inc. received $317,887. Project: Bringing Pain Relief to Underserved Communities via a Mobile Physical Medicine Clinic. Deploying a mobile clinic to deliver evidence-based, non-opioid treatments for chronic pain in underserved areas of Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey Counties, aiming to reduce reliance on opioids and improve access to care.

• Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. received $307,867. Project: Building and Diversifying Hennepin Healthcare’s Alcohol and Drug Counselor Internship Program. Enhancing the diversity and capacity of the Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) workforce by expanding internship opportunities, focusing on culturally specific recruitment and training in Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD).

• Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center received $472,884. Project: Drop-In Center Services. Expanding operational hours and integrating peer recovery support at the drop-in center will improve access to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment services for Native American women and LGBTQ+ individuals, while enhancing safety and community engagement.

• Native American Community Clinic received $517,091. Project: Expanding Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Services for AI/AN Communities at NACC. Improving Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment access for American Indian/Alaskan Native populations in the Twin Cities through same-day Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) appointments, partnerships with justice and health care systems, rapid access to recovery support services, and increased MOUD-specific staffing.

• Neighborhood HealthSource received $426,764. Project: Opioid Misuse Prevention in African American Youth Communities. Implementing a youth-focused opioid education program in North Minneapolis schools, including health navigation, family support groups, and clinic-based outreach to prevent opioid misuse among African American adolescents aged 12-16.

• RS EDEN received $1,335,778. Project: Expanding a Collaborative Continuum of Care to Address the Opioid Epidemic. Enhancing substance use treatment programs by integrating medical and mental health services, prioritizing social determinants of health such as stable housing, and adopting a harm reduction approach to address complex care needs.

• Southside Harm Reduction Services received $437,500. Project: Linkage to Care for SUD through Drug Checking Program. Launching a drug checking initiative that will provide a low barrier entry point to the existing linkage to care program to provide harm reduction services and connect individuals, particularly Indigenous and African American communities experiencing housing instability, to supportive services including MOUD, health care, and housing.

• Twin Cities Recovery Project, Inc. received $490,000. Project: Peer Recovery Forensics Training. Establishing a culturally specific Peer Recovery Forensics Training Program to equip participants with skills to support justice-involved individuals, emphasizing cultural competence and sensitivity in addressing substance use disorders within BIPOC communities.

• Valley Medical and Wellness received $1,515,908. Project: TMS for Chronic Pain and Depression (TCPD) Program. Implementing a program utilizing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to treat chronic pain and depression among Minnesotans, particularly American Indians, aiming to reduce opioid dependency and improve treatment outcomes.

• Women’s Advocates received $883,212. Project: Opioid Epidemic Response for Victim-Survivors of Domestic Violence. Expanding mental and chemical health programming for victim-survivors of domestic violence by hiring a clinical director and strengthening partnerships with OUD treatment providers to interrupt cycles of abuse and substance misuse.

Greater Minnesota

• Harm Reduction Sisters received $1,639,799. Project: Building an Enhanced Syringe Service Program in Northern Minnesota. Expanding harm reduction services in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities by establishing naloxone hubs, increasing program capacity, and providing education to reduce Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) impact and related deaths.

• Minnesota North College – Mesabi Range Campus received $683,032. Project: Increasing Substance Use Treatment Counselors in Indigenous Communities. Addressing the shortage of substance use counselors on tribal lands by recruiting individuals for education and training to obtain ADC-I certification, with pathways to further licensure, to serve rural Indigenous reservations in Northern Minnesota.

• White Earth Reservation Business Committee received $611,683. Project: White Earth Healing Bridge Program. Sustaining and expanding holistic health services through structured procedures, consistent data collection, and documentation to enhance service delivery and research, supporting the well-being of clients on the White Earth Reservation.

Statewide

• Amethyst Recovery Solutions Inc. received $425,605. Project: Amethyst Recovery Academy. Providing culturally responsive Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training to individuals from populations disproportionately affected by OUD, including American Indian and Indigenous populations, the unhoused, and justice-involved persons.

• Begin Anew received $350,000. Project: Begin Anew Peer Professional Development Project. Enhancing the skills of Peer Recovery Specialists through justice-involved specific training sessions, focusing on evidence-based practices and lived experiences to deliver higher-quality SUD services across Minnesota.

• Bold North Recovery and Consulting received $241,194. Project: BNR CPRS Enhanced Workforce Project. Delivering workforce development services to 420 individuals, focusing on enhancing diversity and capabilities of Certified Peer Recovery Services, serving high-risk populations including veterans, justice-involved individuals, and racially diverse communities through virtual certification and financial incentives.

• Change the Outcome received $1,172,479. Project: Empowering Minnesota Youth Against the Opioid Epidemic. Delivering educational programming to 65,000 youth, particularly in underserved communities, to prevent overdoses, reduce stigma, and increase access to naloxone and medication disposal tools.

• Illusion Theater and School, Inc. received $679,525. Project: KEEPIN’ IT REAL: Using Theater to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder in Student & Native Populations. Implementing a theater-based Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) prevention and education program for middle schoolers, including a culturally specific version developed in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Task Force for Native communities.

• Minnesota Hospital Foundation received $437,102. Project: Workforce Expansion of Opioid Use Disorder Professionals. Providing internships and mentorships for individuals pursuing careers in Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment, collaborating with health care entities statewide to arrange placements and support professional development.

• Northwestern Health Sciences University received $49,681. Project: Provider Education on Nonpharmacologic Alternatives to Opioid Use and Substance Abuse Recognition. Developing and distributing online continuing education courses for health care professionals, focusing on nonpharmacologic treatments, and training providers to screen and manage patients at risk for opioid misuse.

• Steve Rummler HOPE Network received $786,376. Project: Enhancing Naloxone Distribution and Overdose Prevention in Minnesota. Supporting overdose prevention services by providing naloxone to community partners, expanding multi-language training formats, and piloting a nasal naloxone fulfillment program for Greater Minnesota residents.

• Steve Rummler HOPE Network received $84,623. Project: Advanced Professional Development for Minnesota’s Harm Reduction Workforce. Implementing a comprehensive Harm Reduction Specialist training program to 200 professionals statewide, emphasizing practical applications and cultural competency.