Escambia County details opioid-abatement NOFA deadlines, eligibility and reduced admin cap

Escambia County staff on July 9 walked potential grantees through the county's opioid-abatement Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), laying out submission deadlines, required documents, eligible activities and changes from prior years.

Angela Jones of the Office of Purchasing opened the virtual pre-application meeting and said questions must be emailed to opioidabatement@myascambia.com by Aug. 14, 2026, with county responses scheduled for Sept. 4 and final applications due Sept. 11, 2026, at 5 p.m. "Please have those in," Jones said, stressing the timeline for applicants.

Elizabeth Kissell, governmental liaison with Escambia County, described the NOFA's priorities: treatment and recovery, prevention, and training or programs connected to the criminal justice system. She said the county wants measurable results and described performance indicators the evaluation panel will consider, including changes in fatal and nonfatal overdoses and emergency-department visits.

Kissell also outlined required application materials: a letter of determination from the IRS confirming tax-exempt status, a W-9, organizational tax returns (2024 preferred; 2023 accepted with an explanation for late filing), and two years of recent financial statements (audited where applicable). "The application has to be received before the due date. There are no exceptions to that rule," Kissell said.

A substantive change from prior years: the county reduced the allowable administrative cost from 10% to 5% of an award. Kissell said the reduced cap should cover only direct grant-administration tasks such as preparing reimbursements and program reporting, not ongoing staff salaries unrelated to grant implementation.

Staff emphasized that awards will operate on a reimbursement basis. "This is reimbursable only. We can't use, you can't use this money to support your everyday cash flow," Jones said, while explaining that grantees may submit reimbursement requests monthly along with invoices and proof of payment.

Applicants will earn bonus points (up to 20) for coordination with other organizations, demonstrated matching funds, measurable innovation and projects that include mobile or community-based outreach. When asked what counts as "innovative," Kissell cited programs that are new to the county or formalized partnerships backed by letters of agreement or memoranda of understanding.

Insurance and compliance details were flagged as critical. Staff said applicants must meet Escambia County's insurance requirements and, if applicable, submit Florida statutory workers' compensation coverage or an exemption letter if the organization has no employees. Jones outlined minimum liability levels the NOFA references and advised applicants to check the NOFA text for full specifics.

Kissell described the review and decision process: an application review committee conducts the initial pass/fail screening for minimum qualifications and produces recommendations; the Opioid Abatement Advisory Board then reviews recommended awards and forwards its final recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. "They have full ability to throw our recommendations out the door if they wish to do that," Kissell said, noting the advisory board's role in final selections.

During a Q&A, attendees asked whether bonus points were the sole differentiator among passing applicants and whether one application could cover multiple partner entities. Kissell answered that eligibility items are pass/fail and that each organization must submit one application, though partnership budgets can be described within an applicant's single submission.

Staff closed by reminding prospective applicants to review the NOFA and the posted 2026-2027 implementation plan, to ensure Sunbiz registration and authorized signatories are current, and to submit any remaining questions by the Aug. 14 deadline. The county will begin scoring received proposals after the Sept. 11 due date.