Penobscot County commissioners on Sept. 24 approved a grant application and scoring process to distribute approximately $400,000 in opioid settlement funds, authorizing a one-year round of awards aimed at prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction.

The commissioners’ approval followed a presentation by Pat Sybil, who introduced the application and the committee’s plan for community outreach and scoring. "We are approximately looking at about $400,000 and we have 3 tiers that we're looking at in distributing that money," Sybil told the board, describing a straightforward application aligned with the settlement's Exhibit E requirements and scored with help from the Moss Center.

The committee’s proposal requires applicants to show how their projects fit one or more of the settlement’s four pillars — prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction — and asks whether applicants already receive other opioid-related funding from sources such as city grants, the Maine Recovery Council or the attorney general's programs. The application limits awards to a maximum of $49,999 per recipient for the first round and allows only one application per organization. It also states awards will be one-year grants and that the score provided by the Moss Center will be only one factor in recommendations; geography, gaps in services and special populations will also be considered.

Sybil said the Moss Center, which she described as an attorney-general–supported technical assistance resource for settlement work, would help score applications and provide applicant support. "Those who aren't familiar with the Moss Center, that is the main opiate settlement services that the attorney general took some of his funds to establish," she said.

During discussion, a commissioner who did not identify themselves by name told the board they supported some community pick-up and vehicle-based harm-reduction work but said they could not support direct needle distribution or buyback programs. "The needle exchange distribution and buyback, that would be a major problem with me," that commissioner said. Pat Sybil and others on the committee said harm reduction as defined in the application can include transportation, outreach and other non-distribution services; the committee emphasized it will consider the scope of proposed uses and avoid awarding funds that duplicate other grants.

The application schedule calls for issuing the application immediately, a Nov. 15 deadline for submissions and anticipated award announcements around Jan. 1. Sybil said the committee will recommend awards to the commissioners but that the board retains final approval.

Commissioners moved to approve the application and scoring process; the motion and second passed unanimously. After the vote, Sybil said the committee planned a webinar with the Moss Center to help local groups complete applications.

The approved process also asks applicants to disclose other settlement or recovery-council funding to reduce duplication; the committee said it will use the reporting and coordination mechanisms created under the settlement to help track grants across jurisdictions.

Why this matters: the county's settlement funds are intended to address harms from opioid-related claims through a broad set of allowable activities. The approved application protocol aims to distribute a finite, near-term pool of money in a way the committee says will prioritize demonstrated need and geographic equity while leaving room to revisit multi-year funding if pilot projects merit continuation.