Boston: $600,000 in New Grant Funding to Prevent Community Overdose Deaths and Expand Access to Treatment

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) today announced $600,000 in new funding for Community Overdose Response Grants. Funding will be allocated to community-based organizations working to prevent overdose deaths and provide substance use treatment in neighborhoods seeing the highest overdose rates, with a focus on serving Black and Latinx communities that are at increased risk. This funding is the result of major litigation that resulted in pharmaceutical companies paying settlements for their involvement in fueling the opioid epidemic that killed nearly 3,000 people in Boston from 2015 to 2024.

This is the second round of funding for the Community Overdose Response Grants because data and community feedback show the City and BPHC's strategies to combat the opioid epidemic are working. In 2024, BPHC awarded grants to five community organizations that then successfully connected nearly 2,000 people to substance use treatment and other services, trained 760 people in overdose prevention, and distributed 5,100 doses of the overdose-reversing medication naloxone. Preliminary data show that in 2025 overdose deaths in Boston are 56% lower compared to 2023, when fatal opioid overdoses peaked.

"Too many families in Boston have been touched by the opioid epidemic, losing a friend, a neighbor, or a family member," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "By collaborating directly with organizations leading community-driven initiatives, we are connecting residents to life-saving care and resources and expanding overdose prevention so that every resident has a real chance to access help and support. I'm grateful to BPHC, our community partners, and the residents who helped guide this work."

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"Community-informed investments are helping Boston turn the tide on fatal overdoses," said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. "These results show what is possible when we invest in strategies shaped by the communities most affected. We remain committed to sustaining this progress and directing resources to the neighborhoods that have borne the greatest burden of the opioid epidemic."

In 2023, BPHC led a community engagement process focused on identifying the best ways to spend Boston's share of settlement funding. More than 600 Boston residents impacted by the opioid epidemic identified priority areas as access to treatment, overdose prevention, housing, workforce development, and direct support for individuals most impacted by the opioid crisis. In early 2026, BPHC led a second community engagement process to evaluate how needs have shifted since Boston received its first round of opioid settlement funding. The 2026 community engagement process included neighborhood meetings, an event showcasing the programs funded with settlement money that solicited community feedback, focus groups with people who use drugs, and community member surveys. This process involved input from more than 200 residents and again identified equitable community-based overdose prevention strategies as a top priority.

The $600,000 in new grant funding will support similar programming to the first round and offers organizations up to $150,000 of funds over two years. The Request for Proposals (RFP) recently opened.

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As of January 1, 2026, Boston Public Health Commission has allocated $17.9 million in opioid settlement funds through June 2028 for programming connected to the priority areas identified in the community engagement process. Priority areas include:

• Family Support and Youth Prevention
• Housing  
• Overdose Prevention
• Clinical Support
• Workforce Development and Community Support  

As of January 1, 2026, BPHC has invested $3,246,134 in settlement funding into programming that supports these priorities. Settlement-funded programming includes the Family Overdose Support Fund, the Newmarket Business Improvement District's Back2Work program, and a medical clinic in the Finland building operated by Boston Health Care for the Homeless. This work highlights BPHC's continued commitment to holistically addressing the opioid epidemic through sustainable, evidence-based, and community-informed interventions. Additional information about BPHC's opioid settlement funded programing and Boston's response to the opioid crisis can be found at boston.gov/opioid-settlements.

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