by Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News
More than 100 Kentucky organizations will receive a total of $34 million in grants from the latest round of opioid settlements, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday, April 23 at Lexington’s Woodhill Community Center.
“It is our largest funding distribution to date, and we are grateful and excited to see those dollars go to organizations focused on saving lives and helping to rebuild families,” Coleman said.
The Lexington Leadership Foundation, located at the center, was awarded $231,526 for its Fatherhood Initiative, which works to reunite children with fathers who have addiction issues or have been incarcerated in Fayette and Jessamine counties. The foundation also received $222,654 to expand its Youth Empowerment Program, which provides mentoring, tutoring and activities to youth in Fayette, Jessamine and Scott counties.
“We are tremendously honored that you are investing in our work . . . prevention dollars are redemption dollars, and recovery dollars are restoration dollars,” Christian Postel, CEO of the Lexington Leadership Foundation, said at the event.
Coleman also noted that since its launch in 2024, nearly $10 million of settlement money has been allocated to the state’s first youth prevention social media campaign, called Better Without It, which uses social media influencers to encourage youth not to use drugs. Coleman said the social media post has had more than seven million views.
“Make no mistake. As excited as I am about Better Without It, this is blood money,” he said. “What we spend, what we announce — it is blood money to those who have lost their sons and their daughters.”
The Kentucky legislature created the commission in 2021 to distribute the state’s portion of what is now about $1 billion from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, with half of the money going to the state and the other half going to local governments.
The commission is housed in the attorney general’s office and is headed by Chris Evans, a former chief operating officer for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The money is provided in installments. So far, the commission has allocated more than $85 million to 130 organizations for treatment, prevention and recovery efforts, according to its website. This is the fifth round of grants.
The following organizations received grant funding from the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, along with the top five counties they serve:
Treatment grants 2026:
- Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, $39,435
- To operate a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the school district.
- Anderson
- Appalachian Artisan Center of Kentucky, Inc., $95,302
- For a program designed to offer new training opportunities to individuals in recovery.
- Knott, Perry, Letcher, Floyd, Magoffin
- Baptist Health Deaconess, $405,471
- For education, early intervention and community engagement to prevent first-time opioid use, address mental health needs, and promote resilience among vulnerable populations.
- Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Webster, Caldwell, McLean
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, Inc., $144,331
- To support a high school mentoring program.
- Fayette, Scott, Clark, Montgomery, Jessamine
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, $198,729
- To support youth mentorship programming.
- Jefferson, Hardin, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby
- Blue Grass Community Action Partnership, $213,268
- To provide recovery supports in nine county community services offices.
- Jessamine, Lincoln, Franklin, Scott, Boyle
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, $100,000,
- To support the SMART Moves youth program.
- Jefferson, Hardin, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, $175,696
- To support youth mentorship programming.
- Kenton, Campbell
- Bright Light Foundation, $77,450
- For a statewide school-based initiative to educate, empower and protect Kentucky students from the rising dangers of fentanyl and substance-related harm.
- Fayette, Madison, Boyle
- Campbell County Drug Free Alliance Incorporated, $274,717
- For youth prevention programming.
- Campbell
- City of Bellevue, $29,315
- For a DARE Middle School program in Bellevue Independent Schools.
- Campbell
- Communicare, Inc., $181,271
- For youth prevention programming.
- Hardin, Nelson, Marion, Breckinridge
- Community Advocates for Resources and Empowerment, $201,055
- For harm reduction efforts and shelter for those dealing with substance misuse and homelessness
- Jefferson
- Comprehend, Inc., $155,575
- For family-focused and youth prevention efforts.
- Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason, Robertson
- Cordata Healthcare Innovations, Inc., $496,190
- To support Quick Response Teams and Situation Tables in several communities.
- Franklin, Warren, Hardin, Jessamine, Boyd
- East Kentucky Health Services, Inc., $218,639
- For youth prevention programming.
- Knott, Floyd, Perry
- Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, Inc., $179,975
- To support year-round shelter and wrap-around services for adults experiencing substance use disorder and homelessness.
- Boone, Campbell, Kenton
- Erlanger Elsmere Board of Education, $250,000
- For youth programming through the PeaCE Project in the school district.
- Kenton
- Franklin County Health Department, $750,000
- To support the county-wide Just Say Yes initiative and its partnerships in youth programming.
- Franklin
- Girl Scouts Of Kentucky Wilderness Road Council, Inc., $224,995
- To establish trauma-informed Girl Scout troops for girls ages 5–18 who are in foster care or kinship care due to parental substance use, incarceration or related instability.
- Rowan, Perry, Whitley, Fayette, Laurel
- Graves County Local KYASAP Board, $180,400
- To support activities of the Mayfield Graves County Youth Council focused on opioid and substance use prevention, mental health awareness, and providing safe, positive alternatives for young people.
- Graves, Calloway, Fulton, Marshall, McCracken
- Green River Regional Health Mental Retardation Board, Inc. d/b/a River Valley Behavioral Health, $253,169
- To support various youth prevention projects in the region.
- Daviess, Hancock, McLean, Ohio, Union
- Hope Center, Inc., $186,318
- To provide prevention and harm reduction services to homeless adults
- Fayette, Bourbon, Clark, Jessamine, Scott
- Hope’s Hands Inc., $297,182
- For youth prevention programming.
- Owen
- Hotel Inc., $75,000
- To support adults experiencing homelessness and substance misuse.
- Warren
- I Would Rather Be Reading, $301,568
- To support prevention efforts for youth ages 5–15 by expanding the Educate & Elevate afterschool program.
- Jefferson
- Kentucky Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, $600,000
- To support youth programming in several locations.
- Barren, Warren, Daviess, Harlan, Jefferson
- Knox County Board of Education, $226,417
- To provide family and youth prevention programming in the school district.
- Knox, Whitley, Laurel
- Lawrence County Health Department, $299,973
- To support the Lawrence County Health Department’s CommUNITY prevention program.
- Lawrence
- Lexington Leadership Foundation, $222,654
- To support programming for at-risk youth.
- Fayette, Jessamine, Scott
- Lincoln Trail District Health Department, $129,262
- To support regional overdose fatality review efforts.
- Hardin, Larue, Nelson, Marion, Washington
- Men 2 Be, $400,000
- To expand the Tools in the Toolbox youth program.
- Christian, Trigg, Todd
- Morehead State University, $235,000
- To support the Collegiate Recovery Resource Center (CRRC).
- Rowan, Montgomery, Boyd, Floyd
- Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, $444,620
- To support youth programming in the region.
- Pike, Johnson, Floyd, Magoffin, Martin
- NewSong Counseling Center, $37,802
- To support youth mentoring and mental health support for youth and adults.
- Montgomery
- North Central District Health Department, $246,457
- To provide mobile harm reduction services.
- Henry, Shelby, Trimble, Spencer
- Northern Kentucky Area Development District, $500,000
- To support a regional deflection and public safety effort in Northern Kentucky.
- Boone, Campbell, Kenton, Grant, Pendleton
- Northern Kentucky Community Action, $263,246
- To provide father-focused prevention efforts
- Boone, Campbell, Kenton, Grant
- Owensboro/Daviess County Family YMCA, $56,614
- To support families involved in juvenile drug court.
- Daviess
- Pendleton County Champions Inc., $221,968
- To provide youth prevention programming.
- Pendleton
- Shawnee Transformation Youth Coalition, $250,000
- To provide youth prevention programming.
- Jefferson
- Somali Community of Louisville, $219,560
- To provide prevention and education programming to the refugee community.
- Jefferson
- South Central Workforce Development Board, $392,586
- To support workforce development efforts in the region.
- Barren, Warren, Simpson, Logan, Hart
- South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block, $21,960
- To support educational programs in schools.
- Bourbon, Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Jessamine
- St Claire Regional Medical Center, Inc., $249,759
- To enhance the Rural Health Scholars program.
- Boyd, Carter, Clark, Montgomery, Rowan
- St. John Center, $300,000
- To support harm reduction services and prevention for the homeless population.
- Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt
- Taylor County Schools, $100,000
- To support middle school youth prevention programming.
- Taylor
- The Greater Louisville Workforce Development Taskforce, $101,798
- To deliver training to businesses.
- Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby
- The Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families, $200,001
- To support school-based grief support groups for students in schools.
- Scott, Woodford, Clark, Jessamine, Franklin
- The Support Agency, $18,060
- To promote drug disposal practices.
- Russell
- Thompson Scholars Foundation, Inc., $260,140
- To support out-of-school youth programming.
- Clay
- Three Rivers District Health Department, $200,182
- To support Planet Youth programming.
- Carroll, Gallatin, Owen, Pendleton
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation: Education, $198,906
- To support the #IChampionHealth school- and community-based youth prevention initiative.
- Fayette, Lawrence, Rowan, Montgomery
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation: Social Work, $200,000
- To support Stronger Together is a statewide text message education project for Kentucky parents, guardians, spouses or partners, and adult children or siblings of people who use opioids.
- Fayette, Jefferson, Kenton, Pike, Madison
- Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment & Education (Operation UNITE), $500,000
- To support youth prevention programming.
- Pulaski, Martin, Lawrence, Russell, Madison
- Western Kentucky MH-MR Board, Inc. dba Four Rivers Behavioral Health, $207,661
- To support the Before the First Time community-based prevention initiative.
- McCracken, Graves, Calloway
- Young Adult Development In Actn Inc., $150,000
- To support the Blueprint 502 out-of-school time program at the Smoketown Community Center.
- Jefferson
- Young People in Recovery, $357,996
- To support local chapters in four communities.
- Carter, Boyd, Rowan, Laurel
Prevention grants 2026:
- 4th Dimension, $167,060
- To support transportation, continuity of peer support, and post-discharge recovery navigation for women with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
- Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Knott, Leslie
- A New Beginning for Women and Children, $156,871
- To provide recovery supports for women and their children.
- Graves, McCracken, Fulton, Carlisle and Hickman
- Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Inc., $122,366
- To support Project Renew.
- Lee, Breathitt, Powell, Clark, Wolfe
- Bluegrass Community and Technical College,$427,622
- To support workforce development efforts and training.
- Fayette, Scott, Boyle, Woodford, Jessamine
- Boyd County Detention Center, $422,218
- Recovery and treatment support for incarcerated individuals.
- Boyd, Carter, Greenup
- Camp Graves, $86,908
- To support recovery-oriented peer support for veterans and vulnerable community members impacted by Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
- Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Marshall, Ballard
- Celebrate Recovery Fairdale, Corp., $33,754
- Transportation support for Celebrate Recovery programs.
- Jefferson, Bullitt
- ChooseWell Communities, Inc., $498,594
- To expand the early-recovery stabilization model.
- Jefferson
- Chrysalis House, Inc., $360,050
- To support recovery for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders (SUD).
- Fayette, Jefferson, Madison, Kenton, Jessamine
- Clark County Health Department, $114,040
- To support harm reduction efforts.
- Clark
- Comprehend, Inc., $297,350
- To support access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
- Fleming, Lewis, Mason, Bracken, Robertson
- Cumberland River Behavioral Health, Inc., $108,359
- To support the CRBH Quick Response Team (QRT).
- Laurel, Whitley, Bell, Clay, Knox
- Cumberland Trace Legal Services, Inc. D/b/a Kentucky Legal Aid, $123,221
- To support Project Renew.
- Christian, Hopkins, Daviess, McCracken, Warren
- DV8 Kitchen Vocational Training Foundation, Inc. and DV8 Kitchens, $263,918
- To support the Employee Success Program.
- Fayette, Clark, Scott, Jessamine, Bourbon
- Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky, $484,625
- To support coordinated services for children and caregivers affected by opioid and polysubstance use.
- Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Grant
- Fivco Area Development District, $434,596
- To support the establishment of Pathways to Recovery: Boyd County Recovery Community Center.
- Boyd, Carter, Lawrence, Elliott, Greenup
- Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Inc., $553,864
- To support the Aspire to Recovery (ATR) program, a pioneering initiative in Kentucky to support justice-involved individuals recovering from opioid-related substance use disorder.
- Jefferson, Oldham
- Graves County Local KY-ASAP Board, $317,602
- To support the Next Steps Reentry Program.
- Calloway, Graves, Marshall, McCracken, Hickman
- Grin Grant Inc., $359,084
- To support recovery, stabilization and successful re-entry.
- Fayette, Jessamine, Clay, Christian, Shelby
- Horsesensing, Inc., $114,844
- To provide support for treatment of opioid use disorder, therapy, on-site sober living, transportation, vocational training and job placement.
- Jefferson, Shelby, McCreary, Fayette, Washington
- Housing Development Alliance, Inc., $112,500
- To support the Hope Building hands-on workforce training program.
- Breathitt, Knott, Leslie, Perry
- Jubilee Jobs of Lexington, $298,179
- To support the Mobile Outreach for Recovery & Employment (MORE Initiative).
- Fayette, Jessamine, Scott, Madison, Woodford
- Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, $380,736
- To support the Training Institute for Peers (TIP), a workforce infrastructure initiative.
- Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham, Shelby
- Kentucky Pharmacists Association, $648,674
- To support a pilot to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in jails.
- Greenup, Marion, Mason
- Kentucky River District Health Department, $320,450
- To support the Women’s Reentry Recovery Program creation of a comprehensive, peer-led reentry and recovery navigation model for incarcerated women.
- Lee, Perry, Letcher, Leslie, Knott
- KVC Behavioral Healthcare Kentucky, Inc., $631,323
- To support the EMBARK (Elevate Mothers and Build Addiction Recovery in Kentucky) program to support pregnant mothers.
- Boyd, Perry, Letcher, Greenup, Pike
- Legal Aid Society, Inc.,$123,046
- To support Project Renew.
- Jefferson, Grayson, Hardin, Nelson, Shelby
- Lexington Leadership Foundation, $231,526
- To support the Restoring Fathers to Strengthen Recovery (RFSR) project.
- Fayette, Jessamine
- Lifeline Recovery Center, Inc., $422,120
- To support the workforce and clinical services to residents of a new women’s transitional supportive housing campus.
- McCracken, Ballard, Graves, Marshall, Calloway
- Louisville Recovery Community Connection, $114,600
- To support the Families Recovering Together initiative
- Jefferson, Kenton, Pike, Warren, McCracken
- Memorial Hospital, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Manchester, $447,895
- To expand Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Behavioral Health services to multiple counties within Southeastern Kentucky.
- Clay, Bell, Jackson, Knox
- Mercy Health – Marcum and Wallace Hospital, $253,076
- To support the Healing, Empowering, and Living Program (HELP) program.
- Estill, Powell
- Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation, $211,142
- For recovery supports.
- Letcher, Harlan, Pike, Perry, Owsley
- Nelson County Addiction Response Effort (NelCARE), $253,202
- To support community efforts in addressing the opioid crisis.
- Nelson, LaRue, Washington, Marion, Bullitt
- Northern Kentucky Legal Aid Society, Inc., $111,880
- To support Project Renew.
- Boone, Boyd, Campbell, Fayette, Kenton
- Northern Kentucky University, $410,994
- To support the “No Wrong Door” (NWD) system for substance use disorder and opioid use disorder recovery support services.
- Carroll, Owen
- Oxford House, Inc., $500,000
- To support access to safe, peer-led recovery housing and enhance recovery supports.
- Jefferson, Fayette, Kenton, Boone, Campbell
- Recovery Cafe Lexington, Inc., $748,576
- To support operations and programming in several Recovery Café locations.
- Boyle, Fayette, Franklin, Whitely, Harlan
- Revive Ministries Inc., $232,244
- To expand family counseling, psychoeducation and support groups to address the unmet needs of family members of clients in its treatment programs and in the community.
- Jessamine, Fayette, Woodford, Garrard, Mercer
- Saint Joseph Catholic Orphan Society, $299,500
- To strengthen addiction-informed treatment capacity within St. Joseph Children’s Home’s existing licensed residential, therapeutic foster care, and behavioral health services.
- Jefferson, Fayette, Hardin, Warren, Kenton
- Save The Children Federation, Inc., $425,000
- To support an evidence-based early childhood and parenting education program that strengthens the family unit.
- Clay, Jackson, Whitley, Lincoln, Perry
- Seven Counties Services, $250,000
- To expand access to evidence-informed treatment and recovery support services for adults.
- Trimble, Oldham, Bullitt
- Shepherds House, Inc., $449,651
- To support women’s access to crisis recovery housing.
- Boyle, Fayette, Franklin, Grant, Shelby
- The Healing Place, $198,850
- To support delivering targeted life skills, parenting education and peer support services.
- Jefferson, Bullitt, Hardin, Oldham, Shelby
- The Morton Center, Inc., $234,776
- To support treatment and mental health support for adolescents impacted by parental substance use.
- Jefferson, Bullitt, Oldham, Henry, Shelby
- Three Rivers District Health Department, $249,916
- To establish a Recovery Resource Center (RRC) in Owen County.
- Owen, Carroll, Gallatin, Pendleton, Grant
- University Medical Center, Inc., $500,000
- To support the CORE Program, a multidisciplinary, Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program designed to reduce opioid dependence and restore function.
- Jefferson, Bullitt, Shelby, Nelson, Spencer
- Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (vocal-ny), Inc., $499,999
- To support a community drop-in center.
- Jefferson
- Voices Of Hope – Lexington, Inc., $231,663
- To support the annual peer support conference and provide recovery supports to those in need
- Madison, Fayette
- Volunteers of America Mid-States, $800,000
- To support Recovery Community Center operations in Pulaski, Lincoln and Calloway counties to deliver peer support, education, outreach and recovery services.
- Pulaski, Lincoln, Calloway
- Western Kentucky MHMR Board, Inc., dba Four Rivers Behavioral Health, $245,873
- To support mobile harm reduction services in the region.
- Fulton, Hickman, Ballard, Carlisle, Livingston
Research and innovation grant 2026:
- The Fletcher Group, Inc., $499,899.46
- Fatherhood and Recovery (FAR): Examining a person-centered intervention for fathers in
recovery housing
