Avondale awards youth opioid‑prevention grants funded by settlement funds to five nonprofits

Avondale officials presented $200,000 in youth opioid‑prevention grant awards to nonprofit organizations, funded through the state distribution of the national opioid litigation settlement. The awards aim to expand prevention, education and mentoring services for Avondale youth.

Neighborhood and Family Services Family Services Manager Jerique Guajardo told the council the city received $200,000 for FY 2025–26 under the 1 Arizona distribution of the national opioid settlement and set a maximum award of $50,000 per project. A cross‑departmental opioid prevention committee — including Neighborhood and Family Services, police and fire departments, marketing and communications, finance and public safety — reviewed applications and selected grant recipients.

Guajardo announced the recipients and their intended uses: Not My Kid will expand comprehensive youth opioid prevention education, early intervention support and treatment navigation; La Frontera Impact will continue its youth resiliency and opioid‑prevention programming; Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates (JAG) will support student leaders at three Avondale high schools leading awareness campaigns on prevention and mental health; Youth for Youth will strengthen youth resiliency and drug prevention with an opioid focus; and Sounds of Autism will provide opioid‑awareness and prevention training sessions tailored for people on the autism spectrum.

Councilmembers praised the grants and noted urgency of prevention work. Councilmember Weiss, who works in a hospital setting, highlighted the difficulty of opioid dependency and commended the city’s approach. Guajardo said the awards process included outreach and a selection committee; staff invited awardees to remain for a photo opportunity at the meeting.

The city’s opioid prevention committee will oversee implementation; council did not take additional action on the awards at the meeting.