Opioid Response Community Grants FAQ

Are charter schools eligible to apply?

Yes.

Do agencies need to be located in Ramsey County?

No, but the work of grant recipients must serve only residents of Ramsey County.

Are organizations who serve families not entirely recovering from opioids eligible to apply?

We encourage you to apply if your proposal aligns with one of our priority areas and can meet the required deliverables. One priority area focuses on pregnant people, parents and babies and includes support for children and family members impacted by opioid addiction. All grant dollars must be spent on opioid remediation. Please refer to the Opioid Memorandum of Agreement.

Can youth and youth voices be involved in the application or submit an application?

Yes, organizations are highly encouraged to incorporate and involve youth and youth voices.

Can media, billboards, other media outlets apply?

We encourage you to apply if your proposal aligns with one of the priority areas and you can complete the required deliverables and reporting requirements for the program.

Is there a way to find out who may be applying in each priority area and what types of services they are proposing?

No, all applications submitted are confidential.

Can organizations apply for more than one priority area?

No, organizations may only apply to one priority area and submit only one application.

What are the word or page limits on the narrative?

Responses to the narrative sections of the application have a character limit. If your narratives are longer, please ensure your application does not exceed 15 pages total. Please note that pages 1, 13 and 14 do not count towards the page count limit.

What does “target groups to serve" mean and will it impact scoring?

Applicants must choose and share the target population their work plan aims to serve. They should provide information or data that reflects how or why the target population was chosen. This information is worth 15 points and will be scored.

Where can I find data?

Although not required, providing data from your own sources is highly encouraged to support your proposal. Additional sources may be found on the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Attorney General websites.

What recommendations do you have for organizations with competing priorities?

We recommend you focus on where you see the biggest need and how you can submit the best application based on your organization’s strengths and service gaps.

Can organizations collaborate to submit one joint application?

Yes, please clearly identify the lead organization and partner organization(s) in the application.

Are there any more Informational Sessions?

If you missed the two Informational Sessions, you may view the linked presentation recording.

Is there a minimum dollar amount requirement?

Yes, you can find this information listed under the "Priority areas" section of the Opioid Community Response Grants webpage. 

What is your recommendation for organizations who may only want to request small dollar amounts?

We encourage applicants with smaller funding requests to consider their capacity for collecting and reporting data before they apply. Grant recipients are required to submit data that includes ages of target audience, zip codes, and other demographic information at least 3 times throughout the contract term. The Data Report (PDF) provides an example of the information grant recipients will need to track and share with the county.

How were the amounts for each priority area decided?

Priority area amounts were based on current internal county investments or funding sources that address one or more priority area. Final amounts were decided by the Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health leadership, who considered feedback from the 2022 community survey, opioid community partnership meetings, internal staff engagement sessions and the annual jurisdictions meeting. Per the Amended Minnesota Opioids State-Subdivision Memorandum of Agreement, Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health is the lead agency and Chief Strategist to identify, collaborate, and respond to local issues as Local Governments decide how to leverage and disburse Opioid Settlement Funds.

Do you anticipate another round of grant funding?

No decision has been made about future funding at this time.