RIZE Massachusetts Provides Grants to 11 Nonprofits on ‘Frontline’ of Opioid Epidemic
Latest Funding Focuses on Support for Youth and Families Affected by Opioid Use Disorder
BOSTON (May 9, 2023) – RIZE Massachusetts, an independent nonprofit foundation working to end the overdose epidemic in Massachusetts, today announced that 11 nonprofit organizations have been awarded Frontline Funds to support programming focused on youth and families affected by opioid use disorder.
The nearly $55,000 in funding will support projects or initiatives that enhance access to culturally responsive substance use prevention, education, treatment and services for youth and families across Massachusetts. Among the recipients are Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre based in Charlemont and Fathers’ UpLift in Boston.
“Now more than ever, resources are needed to treat and serve people with opioid use disorder and address the factors we know can lead to overdose tragedies in our communities,” said RIZE President and CEO Julie Burns. “Ending the opioid epidemic will take innovation and resiliency, and the organizations receiving this round of Frontline Funds stood out in both who they reach and how.”
Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre provides after-school and summer camp programming that offers circus and performing arts experiences for young people overcoming addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health challenges. A $5,000 RIZE grant will support the organization’s student-led seasonal intensives that use trauma-informed, evidence-based practices to offer recovery groups, medication for opioid use disorder, outdoor adventure and equestrian therapy to underserved youths in western Massachusetts.
Fathers’ UpLift operates an outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment facility in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston that helps fathers overcome internal and external barriers that interrupt father-child relationships. A $5,000 RIZE grant will support resources for recovery groups and the Bags for Dads program. Bags for Dads provide fathers reentering the community after incarceration with a high-quality duffel bag filled with basic care and hygiene items. These bags provide a tangible show of support and community by equipping fathers with fundamental tools and dignity to remind them that they are not alone.
Also receiving Frontline Funds are:
- Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc., Chatham
- Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Boston
- Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery, Boston
- Action for Boston Community Development, William J. Ostiguy High School, Boston
- Out For Good, Boston
- Ricky, Inc., Norwood
- To the Moon and Back, Plymouth
- United Way of Plymouth County, Brockton
- Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma, Worcester
RIZE’s Together in Recovery Advisory Committee, a network of people with lived and living experience who promote cross-sector solutions to end the overdose crisis, determined the focus area for the 2023 Frontline Funds. In collaboration with RIZE, committee members also shared the opportunity with their respective networks and participated in the application review and selection process.
Applicants were able to request up to $5,000. This is the third round of Frontline Funds made by RIZE since 2022, bringing the total awards made to approximately $215,000 for 46 recipients. In January 2022, the organization awarded more than $75,000 to 17 nonprofits to help offset the costs of harm reduction supplies and address frontline worker wellness. In October 2022, an additional $85,000 was awarded to 18 organizations to increase access to recovery services.
About RIZE Massachusetts
RIZE Massachusetts Foundation is solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis. Guided by those with lived experience and unafraid of new ideas, RIZE is building networks, designing programming, and supporting community partners who are using novel approaches to preventing overdose and increasing access to treatment. Learn more at www.rizema.org.
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