Biden-Harris Administration Announces Critical More Than $1.5 Billion State and Tribal Opioid Response Funding Opportunities

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced the 2024 State Opioid Response (SOR) and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Notices of Funding Opportunity, providing up to $1.48 billion to states, territories, and the District of Columbia and $63 million to Tribes to address the overdose crisis in fiscal year 2024. This funding is a critical investment in the President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation, and supports evidence-based, holistic practices that address the overdose crisis, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment such as the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), naloxone and other opioid overdose reversal medications, and recovery supports.

“State and Tribal Opioid Response grants provide essential support in the fight against the overdose crisis,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “This funding is aligned with the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy and allows states and Tribes to build critical infrastructure and increase capacity in ways that fit their unique needs. The Administration is committed to bolstering the implementation of evidence-based practices that save lives.”

“Under President Biden’s Unity Agenda, we have made historic investments to expand access to life-saving treatments, services, and overdose reversal medications across the nation,” said White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. “These State and Tribal Opioid Response grants will support critical local efforts in our whole-of-society response to address the overdose epidemic and save lives.”

“President Biden made it a top priority of his Unity Agenda to ensure states, Tribes and territories have the tools and evidence-based strategies needed to beat the overdose crisis,” said Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “At HHS, we believe there should be no wrong door for people who are seeking support and care to manage their behavioral health challenges, including when it comes to getting treatment for substance use disorder.”

“The State and Tribal Opioid Response funding are some of SAMHSA’s largest grants and will continue expanding access to care for those in the greatest need and in the most overlooked communities,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “These grants enable states, territories, and Tribal entities to fund programs that support the continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery for millions of people. Thanks to this funding, many more lives will be saved.”

The 2024 SOR funding opportunity includes initiatives to:

• Build on opioid overdose reversal medication (naloxone and nalmefene) saturation efforts, ensuring these medications are in the hands of those most likely to witness an overdose.
• Increase the focus on the full continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for transitional aged youth and young adults (ages 16-25).
• Expand access to MOUD in correctional settings.
• Emphasize the provision of services using a whole-person approach, taking into account an individual’s physical and mental health needs and their social supports.

SOR awards will help states and territories build on successes from previous grants. From 2018 to 2023, SOR recipients have reported:

• Over 550,000 overdose reversals
• About 9.8 million naloxone kits and 7 million fentanyl test strips distributed
• Over 1.2 million people received treatment services and over 600,000 people received MOUD, including buprenorphine, methadone, and injectable extended-release naltrexone.
• At their six month follow up, 78% of people who received treatment through SOR reported they did not use illicit drugs.

TOR awards will also help Tribal communities continue to build on successes since 2018, including:

• Providing treatment and recovery support to over 11,000 people
• Distributing almost 50,000 naloxone kits and 37,000 fentanyl test strips
• Furnishing prevention resources to over 78,000 people.

In order to help recipients better plan and implement overdose response activities, SOR awards will be extended from two to three years, and TOR awards will be extended from two to five years.

Over the past three years, under President Biden’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments, taken unprecedented action, and removed decades-long barriers to substance use disorder treatment and overdose reversal medication to help address the overdose epidemic and save lives.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.