Substance Use/Addiction Community Grant (RFP) FY27

Hingham Department of Health hereby issues this Grant RFP for nonprofit entities, government entities or other qualified applicants to provide opioid response strategies including opioid prevention, harm reduction, recovery and treatment services.

The Town of Hingham is taking part in a National Opioid Settlement reached by the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General (AG) and several opioid manufacturers and distributors. This settlement makes funds available to individual municipalities across the Commonwealth, which are required to adopt strategies for expanding opioid prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services in the communities they serve. In response, one of the Town of Hingham goals is to award reimbursable grant funds through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to local nonprofits, government entities or other qualified applicants that will provide opioid-related services.

The approval of any grant hereunder is in the sole discretion of the Town of Hingham and the Town reserves the right to reject any proposal hereunder in its sole discretion.

All grant agreements hereunder shall be deemed an agreement between a governmental body and nonprofit entity or other qualified applicant to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation for the benefit or use of the governmental body and are not subject to M.G.L. c. 30B.

Background

State Attorney Generals across the U.S. have recently settled and/or are in the process of settling historic opioid-related lawsuits with major opioid manufacturers and distributors. To date, it is estimated that these settlements will yield approximately 26 billion dollars awarded to 46 states as part of the National Opioid Settlement. Massachusetts stands to receive over $525 million from participation in these settlements over the next several decades. The Town of Hingham stands to receive approximately 1 million over the course of sixteen years based on current projections. On the state level, 60% of funds will be retained by the newly established Massachusetts Opioid Recovery and Remediation Trust Fund for statewide use. On the local level, 40% of funds will be distributed by the state for use by individual municipalities under a State-Subdivision Agreement.

Project Details

• Reference ID: SUACGFY27
• Department: Health
• Department Head: Susan Sarni (Executive Health Officer)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-28T15:00:34.131Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Eligibility —

  At this time, qualified applicants that provide substance use-related services to Hingham residents are eligible to apply for funding through this competitive grant program. Joint proposals between eligible applicants will also be considered for this RFP. This current RFP funds projects for the duration of one year. Proposed project budgets should not exceed $5,000. These grants are reimbursable grants for incurred eligible expenditures and may not cover the salary expenses of any applicant.  Applicants must serve Hingham residents directly. Proposals that include subcontractors are not eligible. Quarterly reports may be requested when deemed necessary by the Town.

   

  To be eligible, applicants must propose to provide at least one type of strategy that falls under seven specific strategy categories as defined by the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement, including:

   

  1. Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

  2. Support for People in Treatment and Recovery

  3. Connections to Care

  4. Harm Reduction

  5. Address the Needs of Criminal-Justice-Involved Persons

  6. Support Pregnant or Parenting Women and Their Families, Including Babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

  7. Prevent Misuse of Opioids and Implement Prevention Education

   

  For a complete definition of each specific strategy category, please refer to pages 4-8 of the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement.

   

  NOTE: Per the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement, grants cannot be used to fund direct services already reimbursed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including through MassHealth and the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). Agencies that receive reimbursement for services can apply for funds to implement strategies not already funded/reimbursed by the Commonwealth.

   

• Funding Requirements —

  Qualified applicants that are selected to receive funding will be required to complete the following activities:

   

  • Implement a project that consists of at least one opioid-related strategy for Hingham residents as defined in the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement (Attachment 1), including prevention, harm reduction, recovery, and/or treatment services.
  • Complete a brief final report which will include but not be limited to providing Hingham Department of Health with information about how strategies/services were implemented, how funds were spent, and a description of progress towards any stated project goals/objectives.
  • Respond to any additional requests for information from Hingham Department of Health as needed for state reporting, etc. (The Town of Hingham reserves the right to visit sites and/or request additional information.)

   

• Review Process —

  Applications for this RFP will be reviewed and considered by the Mental Health Coalition that consists of members with relevant process/subject matter expertise. The Mental Health Coalition is responsible for reviewing and providing final funding recommendations on the merits of each application to the Town Administrator. Only applicants that meet eligibility criteria, commit to funding requirements, and provide complete information for each element listed below will be reviewed by the Coalition.

   

  Application Elements:

   

  1. Applicant Organization Information (organization name, contacts, etc.)

   

  2. Brief Organization Overview

   

  3. Brief Project Narrative (including Statement of Commitment to Funding Requirements)

   

  4. Project Timeline

   

  5. Project Budget

   

  6. Letter of Support

   

  7. Additional Documents

• Rejection of Proposals —

  The Town of Hingham reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or parts thereof in its sole discretion, to waive any formal proposal requirements, to investigate the qualifications and experience of any applicant, to reject any provisions in any proposal, to obtain new proposals, to negotiate the requested services and contract terms, and to adjust funding amounts with any applicant. The Town of Hingham further reserves the right to insist on or waive any technicalities required for the best interest of the Town. If all proposals are unacceptable, the Town reserves the right to reject all proposals, to issue a new Grant RFP, or to determine to spend the Opioid Settlement funds in any way permitted by law and the terms of the settlement, whether or not through solicitation of proposals or otherwise. Incomplete proposals and proposals not sufficiently detailed or not in acceptable form may be returned for completion or may be rejected by the Town of Hingham.

• Grant Agreement/Indemnification —

  Any applicant awarded a grant hereunder shall execute a grant agreement in a form acceptable to the Town and containing an indemnification provision in the substantially the following form:

   

  To the fullest extent permitted by law, the grant recipient shall agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Town of Hingham and all of its employees, officers, and agents (collectively, “Indemnified Persons”) from and against any and all losses, costs, damages, expenses, judgments, and liabilities of whatever nature (including, but not limited to, attorneys’, accountants’ and other professionals’ fees and expenses, litigation and court costs and expenses, amounts paid in settlement and amounts paid to discharge judgments and amounts payable by an Indemnified Person relating to or arising out of (i) the actual or alleged failure of the grant recipient to comply with the terms of this Agreement or with any other requirement or condition applicable to the grant with which any grant is funded or (ii) the operation or undertaking of each project; provided that no indemnification shall be required of an Indemnified Person to the extent such losses are determined by the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to be the result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnified Person. Such indemnification includes, but is not limited to, costs arising from third-party claims. The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement, and the obligations of the grant recipient shall apply to losses or claims whether asserted prior to or after the termination of this Agreement. In the event of failure by the grant recipient to observe the covenants, conditions and agreements contained in this section, any Indemnified Person may take any action at law or in equity to collect amounts then due and thereafter to become due, or to enforce performance and observance of any obligation, agreement or covenant of the grant recipient under this section. The obligations of the grant recipient under this section shall not be affected by any assignment or other transfer by the Town of Hingham of its rights or interests under this Agreement and will continue to inure to the benefit of the Indemnified Persons after any such transfer. The provisions of this section shall be cumulative with and in addition to any other agreement by the grant recipient to indemnify any Indemnified Person.

• Organization Overview (Please attached separate page - one page maximum) —

  Date:

  Name of Organization:

  Address:

  Contact Person: 

  Phone:                                     Fax:                                         Email:

   

  • Please briefly describe the history of the organization (including its history of providing services to Hingham residents, if applicable), the organization’s mission/vision/values, and the current staff/leadership/board.

   

  • Include a description of the organization’s major area(s) of focus. Be sure to highlight any details regarding the organization’s experience with opioid/substance use prevention, harm reduction, recovery, and/or treatment.

   

  • Please share any details about your organization’s experience with addressing stigma among individuals, families, and/or communities with lived experience around substance use.

   

  • Also include experience addressing disparities among individuals/communities across racial, cultural, gender, linguistic, socioeconomic, and/or other identities and backgrounds.

   

• Brief Project Narrative (Please attached separate pages - two pages maximum) —
  • Please indicate which strategy or multiple strategies from the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement your organization is proposing to provide.
  • Provide a brief description of your proposed project/strategy and describe how your project will utilize evidence-based approaches to foster access and promote equity among vulnerable and underserved community members and/or groups in Hingham.
  • Please provide a Statement of Commitment to Funding Requirements by declaring your organization’s commitment to comply with all funding requirements mentioned on Page 3. This statement can be a one-sentence statement declaring your organization’s commitment to comply and should be included within the Project Narrative page.
• Project Timeline (Please attach separate page - one page maximum) —
  • Please attach a timeline that describes your project milestones for implementing your strategy(ies) on a quarterly basis (e.g., goals and activities in three-month increments)
• Project Budget (Please attach separate pages - two pages maximum) —

  Please attach a budget for your proposed project, including itemized expenses such as  operating costs, equipment and/or supplies, etc. The proposed project budget should not exceed $5,000 and this grant is for reimbursement based upon incurred eligible expenditures which may not include any salary expenses of the organization.

  If applying jointly, applicants must submit an itemized budget and budget narrative for each organization and address the requirements listed below in this section.

  • Please provide a brief budget narrative that justifies expenses and describes any and all anticipated sources of funding/revenue for the project (e.g., donations, fees for services, etc.).
  • If this proposed project/strategy is funded in part by another existing funding source, please describe this here. If state funding is received for any services, indicate how existing state funds will not be used for this proposed project/strategy.
• Letter of Support (Please attach separate page - one page maximum) —
  • Please attach a letter of support from a client, partner organization, funder, public/legislative representative, civic leader, and/or other key stakeholder that demonstrates your organization’s record with leading similar initiatives and/or providing services in the community.
• Additional Documents (If applicable please attach separate pages) —
  • Please attach a copy of proof of your organization’s registered 501(c)3 or municipal status or other tax exemption.
  • Please attach a copy of your organization's certificate of insurance.
  • Please attach a copy of your organization's most recent audit statement (if your organization is not required to conduct an annual audit based on federal/state laws, please attach a note here).
• Funding/Payment Method —

  The awarded contractor shall invoice the Town twice per year that include one (1) report that are required with each invoice submission and/or when deemed necessary by the Town.

Submission Requirements

• Proposal Submission (required) —

  Upload all documents here regarding technical proposal 

• Organization Overview (required) —

  One Page Max 

• Project Narrative (required) —

  Two Pages Maximum 

• Project Timeline (required) —

  Maximum One Page 

• Project Budget (required) —

  Maximum Two Pages 

• Letter of Support (required) —

  Maximum One Page

• 501 (c) 3 Documentation
• Certificate of Insurance (required)
• Organization's Most Recent Audit Statement (required) —

  (if your organization is not required to conduct an annual audit based on federal/state laws, please attach a note here)

• I certify that I have read, understood and agree to the terms in this RFP, and am authorized to submit this bid on behalf of my company.
• Vendors from whom quotes should be requested? (required) —

  RFQs for goods/services under $50k require at least three qualified potential bidders be invited to bid.

  Provide each vendor's Company name, contact person name, and email address.