Districts Can Apply for Grants for Opioid Epidemic Response

Illinois school districts can apply for grants through the Public School Districts’ Opioid Recovery Trust, which “aims to help public school districts recover from the opioid epidemic and develop responses to enhance educating students harmed by the opioid epidemic.”

The grant application deadline is December 15, 2024. The Trust anticipates distributing roughly $25 million in grants to public school districts in its first phase of grant funding in Spring 2025. Grants will be presented in the areas of District Improvement, Model Programs and Best Practices, and Innovation.

These grant funds can be used by schools, selected based on need, for classroom services, school-based behavioral and mental health supports, instructional innovations, or other district and school-based supports that directly affect students harmed by the opioid epidemic. The Trust indicates funding may be used not only for school programs but also to assist in educational supports for students born with neonatal opioid withdrawal symptoms and students who have suffered traumatic family loss and educational interruptions because of the opioid epidemic.

For more information visit the Public School Districts’ Opioid Recovery Trust website.