Mayor Scott Announces First Wave of $2M Opioid Grants to 11 Groups

Baltimore City awarded $2 million in Opioid Restitution Fund (ORF) community grants to 11 local organizations, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced Feb. 26, 2026, marking the first wave of community-directed investments aimed at the city’s overdose crisis. The announcement identifies the awards as an initial distribution from the ORF intended to shift resources directly to neighborhood-based groups working on addiction and overdose issues.

The cash allocation totals $2,000,000 and will be distributed among 11 organizations chosen by the city as part of this first wave. Mayor Brandon M. Scott presented the grants as the city’s move to fund community partners on the front lines, and the Feb. 26 announcement establishes an official starting point for ORF spending in Baltimore City targeted at opioid-related interventions.

City officials framed the grants as community-directed investments intended to address the city’s overdose crisis. By directing $2 million to 11 local groups, the city is signaling a prioritization of neighborhood-level responses rather than exclusively centralizing services at government-run clinics or hospitals.

Public health implications hinge on how the 11 organizations use the funds to reach people at risk of overdose. The $2 million infusion from the Opioid Restitution Fund creates new capacity in the short term and will serve as a test case for whether community-based spending can reduce overdose harms in Baltimore City neighborhoods disproportionately affected by the epidemic.

The grants represent a policy action by Mayor Scott’s administration to move ORF dollars into community hands. As the first wave, the distribution of $2,000,000 to 11 groups establishes a baseline for further ORF allocations and gives city leaders an early set of partners to evaluate for outcomes, equity of access, and scalability across Baltimore.

Tracking the impact of these initial ORF awards will be important for next steps and for residents watching how public resources are applied to the overdose crisis. The Feb. 26, 2026 announcement by Mayor Brandon M. Scott positions the $2 million payment to 11 organizations as the opening chapter of a community-centered strategy to confront opioid-related harms across Baltimore City.