FARMINGTON — Grant applications for Franklin County opioid settlement funds will become available April 1, with applicants having until June 30 to apply for the first round of funding, county officials said in a statement.

Applications must support one or more of the following strategic goals from the Maine Opioid Response Strategic Action Plan: prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and/or recovery, and must support work in Franklin County.

Private parties and community groups, government agencies, municipalities and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply, county officials said.

A five-member Franklin County Opioid Settlement Funds Committee, including a nonvoting member, will review the applications. Applications will become available on a quarterly basis. This is the first round under the new committee.

The applications will be available on at www.franklincountymaine.gov under the “Opportunities” pull-down menu or go to Google documents at https://forms.gle/p16oyCVCeko87bBS7. The applications will not appear until April 1. If anyone has trouble accessing an application, they can call county Administrative Assistant Jamie Sullivan at 778-6614.

The county is expected to receive more than $800,000 over several years from state settlements from pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributers and pharmacies in connection to the opioid epidemic. Franklin County has Opioid Settlement Funds from a lawsuit related to the over-prescribing of opioid medications. More information is available on the Maine attorney general’s website.

Approved uses include reversing overdoses through naloxone or other U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, and expanding the availability of medication-assisted treatment for Mainers struggling with opioid use disorder, according to the Maine Recovery Council.

A previous Franklin County committee awarded two grants for $10,000 each. A new committee and bylaws were established and approved in 2024.

The Franklin County committee is made up of public and behavioral health professionals, a Franklin County commissioner liaison, and other community partners, the statement said.

The committee enlisted the support of the Maine Opioid Settlement Support Center, which provides assistance to support communities with the distribution of opioid settlement funds at no cost through support from Office of the Maine Attorney General.

The center offers a range of resources to counties, cities, and towns statewide that are receiving settlement funds and has supported the Franklin County Opioid Settlement Committee in the development of the online application.