RIZE Massachusetts Awards $55,000 to Nonprofits on ‘Frontline’ of Overdose Epidemic

RIZE News

May 9, 2023

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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Position Summary

Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership (Mosaic), funded by the MA Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and powered by RIZE Massachusetts Foundation (RIZE), is a partnership like no other. It is a unique, public-private collaboration designed to support initiatives that are addressing the opioid overdose crisis in communities that have been historically underserved and have experienced a high rate of opioid-related overdose deaths.

The funding for Mosaic comes from the Massachusetts Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), which resulted from the historic legal effort to demand justice from several private companies for the harms caused by the opioid epidemic. This is one of the first public-private partnerships of this magnitude using settlement funds for community-led initiatives.

In partnership with BSAS and municipalities receiving opioid abatement funds, RIZE manages the Municipal Training and Technical Assistance (Muni TTA) Program. This program aligns with Mosaic’s mission to ensure that opioid abatement funds are invested and remain in the communities most deeply impacted by the crisis while also fueling transformative change through grassroots, community-led efforts.

The Muni TTA project manager provides project management, data, and operational support, ensuring the Muni TTA Program runs smoothly, is well documented, and is grounded in data. This role translates program strategy into concrete workplans, tracking systems, and reporting products, and provides day-to-day task direction to the program coordinator on project deliverables.

RIZE seeks someone for this position who is passionate about ending the overdose crisis and unafraid of new ideas. Success will require a positive, can-do, learning mindset and a collaborative, team-oriented approach. We are looking for candidates who understand how complex and interconnected issues, such as funding, data systems, and municipal government structures, intersect with addressing the overdose crisis.

The project manager supports the implementation of the Muni TTA workplan and Salesforce data infrastructure, coordinates monthly and quarterly reporting, provides project management support to four regional community advisory boards (CABs), and manages the logistics and content pipeline for the program's webinar series and newsletter. This position reports to the chief program officer (CPO) and works closely with the senior program officer (SPO).

 

Key Responsibilities

1. Workplan & Data Management

  • Oversee the Muni TTA workplan and Asana project management structure across six program goals: Proactive Outreach; Communications and Engagement; Quality Assurance and Team Development; Evaluation and Reporting; Intermunicipal Collaboration and Partnerships; and Community Advisory Boards. Monitor and keep progress, and identify risks or adjustments needed to keep deliverables on track
  • Set and monitor Salesforce data quality standards, oversee the Mosaic Muni TTA dashboard in coordination with the program coordinator, and produce reports; identify data quality issues and recommend adjustments to tracked metrics as the program evolves.
  • Monitor case documentation and tracking; compile monthly quality-review summaries for senior management review.
  • Support municipal capacity assessments by synthesizing results, identifying gaps, and helping the SPO draft action plans that reflect program priorities and municipal needs.

2. Reporting & Leadership Support

  • Compile regular qualitative reports, drafting the consolidated narrative of outcomes, barriers, and strategic adjustments for the SPO to finalize.
  • Develop regular progress updates, data summaries, and briefing materials for senior leadership, translating program activity and outcomes into clear talking points for internal review and external stakeholder discussions.
  • Coordinate senior leadership meeting preparation by identifying needed inputs, shaping agendas around key decisions, and ensuring materials are ready for review and follow-up. Coordinate post meeting follow-up.
  • Participate in cross-sector coordination meetings as needed to support data, reporting, or project management needs.

3. Community Advisory Board & Event Support

  • Provide project management for CAB implementation tracking progress and outcome metrics.
  • Direct administrative support for CABs, including materials preparation and outreach coordination.
  • Coordinate logistics, timelines, materials, follow-up, and slide preparation for regional and statewide presentations, meetings, and events.

4. Communications & Content Pipeline

  • Project-manage Mosaic TTA webinars: in coordination with the program coordinator maintain the topic and speaker pipeline, coordinate scheduling and logistics, and track post-session evaluations.
  • Project-manage Muni TTA bulletin and newsletter production, coordinating content collection, drafting, and oversee program coordinator with distribution timelines, and tracking engagement analytics.
  • Direct the program coordinator's development of training materials and slide decks; review for quality and program alignment before routing to senior leadership for approval.

 

Qualifications

Required

  • Strong organizational and time management skills
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and virtual meeting platforms
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred

  • Experience in public health, behavioral health, or harm reduction
  • Familiarity with workforce development initiatives
  • Experience supporting coalitions or multi-partner collaborations
  • Experience working with communities disproportionately impacted by substance use and overdose

Core Competencies

  • Commitment to harm reduction philosophy and health equity
  • Cultural humility and trauma-informed approach
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
  • Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative mindset
  • High level of discretion and professionalism
  • Bachelor's degree in public health, public administration, business, or a related field and a minimum of five years of relevant experience; or a master's degree and a minimum of two years of experience.
  • Demonstrated project management experience, ideally within a public health, government, or nonprofit setting.
  • Strong data and systems management skills; experience with Salesforce, or a comparable CRM/database strongly preferred.
  • Experience managing workplans, timelines, and reporting cycles.
  • Experience with supervision preferred.
  • Excellent written communication skills, including experience drafting reports and briefing materials for review by senior staff.
  • Proficiency with Salesforce, Asana, Microsoft Office 365, and virtual conferencing platforms; familiarity with Canva, WordPress, and Constant Contact a plus.
  • Knowledge of the Massachusetts opioid settlement funding landscape and municipal government structures preferred.

Skills, Abilities, Attributes

  • Strong organizational skills and sound judgment in a fast-paced, small-team, collegial environment.
  • Comfortable managing competing priorities and shifting timelines with minimal oversight.
  • Demonstrated track record of sustained high-quality, independent work in fast-paced environments.
  • Effective relationship-builder able to coordinate across internal teams and external stakeholders.
  • Ability to exercise discretion in handling confidential or sensitive information.
  • Motivated by a keen sense of mission and values with a willingness to embrace and actively support RIZE's agenda.

Work Environment

The Municipal TTA project manager is a full-time, hybrid role. RIZE is in downtown Boston; travel, primarily in-state, will be required for meetings and events as needed. This role may require evening and occasional weekend work.

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