Contract Review Committee opens $55,000 opioid-settlement grant round; schedules May 30 and June 6 reviews

The Nantucket Contract Review Committee on April 25 opened a one-month application period for opioid-related grants totaling $55,000 drawn from settlement proceeds and set committee review meetings for May 30 and June 6.

Committee chair Veronica Volczyk said the committee had received $55,000 that came from a series of legal settlements and that the grants were divided into two streams: a $35,000 treatment fund and a $20,000 prevention fund. Volczyk said the application is available on the town website and will remain open for roughly one month with a May 21 deadline.

Jericho Maly, town staff, told the committee the two grant streams are narrowly targeted to opioid misuse and related conditions and that the panel intends to make one award in each category. "The grant money has been broken into 2, separate streams. 1 is for treatment, and that is $35,000 ... and then the second ... is for $20,000 and it's for prevention," Volczyk said while sharing the application details.

Maly said the committee will publish FAQs and addenda as questions arrive rather than hold a formal bidders information session; he also said applicants may apply to both grant streams. "Yes," Maly said in response to whether an organization can apply to both grants.

Committee members agreed to a review timeline. Volczyk and Maly told members they expect to assemble review packets and that the committee will aim to conclude awards by the end of the fiscal year so funds can be available by July 1. The committee scheduled Friday morning meetings on May 30 and June 6 for application review and possible follow-up deliberations.

The committee discussed publishing the rubric with the grant materials and said a rubric will be included with the bid package. Maly said he will prepare a packet for reviewers and that the committee may invite applicants for brief interviews only if questions arise that the committee wants answered in person.

Volczyk and members urged outreach to likely applicants. Members agreed the committee staff may notify agencies that have applied in the past and that individual committee members may also inform potential applicants. Maly said he will add recurring FAQ items to the application page as questions accumulate.

The committee did not yet set award recipients. Decisions will be recorded after the May 30 and June 6 deliberations.

Details the committee provided are administrative and procedural; eligibility and formal award terms will be defined in the posted application materials and in the published rubric.