WV First Foundation requests proposals for statewide needs assessment to help guide future funding
The West Virginia First Foundation issued a request for proposals on for organizations interested in performing a statewide needs assessment survey that will help guide the nonprofit's future grant distributions. (Leann Ray | West Virginia Watch)
The West Virginia First Foundation issued a request for proposals on Friday for organizations interested in performing a statewide needs assessment survey that will help guide the nonprofit's future grant distributions.
The First Foundation — a private nonprofit tasked with disbursing millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds to projects meant to confront West Virginia's ongoing drug and overdose epidemic — is looking for people or firms with expertise in public health research, data analytics, community engagement and policy evaluations to submit proposals for the needs assessment, according to a news release issued Friday.
The needs assessment survey has been discussed by First Foundation leaders since the organization began meeting in 2023.
According to the RFP posted this week, the assessment will look at what addiction services currently exist in West Virginia and identify gaps in needs both by geography and types of service. The survey should demonstrate and provide evidence of how different localities compare regarding the burden put on them by substance use disorder. Such a model, according to the RFP, should be built in a way to show changes over time in an attempt to figure out what works and what doesn't in responding to addiction.
The survey will also look at how money is spent on addiction services and response, taking account of every dollar spent from all funding sources for such services at the county and state level. This will help to create a 'common definition' of 'Health Return on Investment,' meaning how far each dollar spent goes in improving the health and wellbeing of communities and individuals affected by substance use disorder.
This 'Health Return on Investment' will be used to produce a new methodology that can be applied in areas needing new kinds of services while assisting the Foundation in prioritizing future funding, according to the RFP.
Through research and interviews with stakeholders — including public health experts, those who work in the field, members of the First Foundation, local leaders and more — the needs assessment will 'define a set of core foundational addiction services that should be available to all West Virginia residents.'
Per the RFP, all information collected through the needs assessment will be built into a public-facing dashboard that will allow 'rapid analysis of where to deploy future investments.'
First Foundation leaders have been clear that priorities for upcoming funding cycles for the organization will be led by results found in the needs assessment survey.
Last year — without the needs assessment done — the First Foundation targeted funding at four addiction response areas where work was already underway: Diversion programs to keep people out of the criminal justice system, youth prevention and workforce development, programming to support children, babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome and families affected by substance use disorder and the expansion of transitional and recovery housing.
While $19.2 million was made available for grants in 2024 — of which 174 organizations applied for — only $10.4 million was actually distributed. The Foundation announced in December that a secondary grant cycle was being opened to disburse the remaining $8.8 in funds. Those who applied for the first round but who weren't selected to receive the money were given technical assistance to round out their applications and reapply for the second round. Awardees for the second round of grants have yet to be selected.
Those interested in applying to perform the needs assessment survey have until March 21 to submit questions regarding the RFP to the Foundation. Answers will be returned by March 28. Formal responses to the RFP must be received by the First Foundation by April 18.
As of Feb. 28, the First Foundation held about $297 million in its bank accounts. The Foundation is scheduled to have its first quarterly meeting of 2025 at 10 a.m. on March 20. Meetings are held virtually and can be accessed via Google Meet by this link: https://meet.google.com/hbq-uoqj-hxw.
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