Toolkit: Opioid Settlement Funding for Afterschool

In this toolkit, you’ll find guidance and materials to help you make the case for opioid settlement funding to go to afterschool and summer programs in your state. If you have questions or it would help to strategize, please send us an email!

How to use this toolkit

Follow the steps below to learn more about what’s happening in your state and engage with people who can help secure opioid settlement funds for afterschool and summer programs.

1. Do some research

First, find out how much money is coming to your state, whether it has been designated for certain uses, who the spending authority is, and how to contact them.

Use KFF Health News’ opioid settlement payout database to see how much settlement money is coming to your state. You can also search by city and county on the Localities tab.

Visit the National Academy for State Health Policy’s tracker on state opioid settlement spending decisions. Here, you can find:
- Any announcements that your state has made about how they intend to use opioid settlement funds (under State Annual Report column).
- Who the spending authority is in your state (Select Spending Authority view on the map) as well as the name of the advisory committee (Select Administrative Approaches in spreadsheet below map).
- Most states have a website linked under “State Settlement Website or Dashboard” where you can find more information about who is responsible for distributing these funds.

Other resources:
- Visit NLC100 to see their recommendations for how opioid settlement funds should be spent in your state and/or city.

2. Craft your message

Use these messages to inform your conversations, meetings, and other communications about the availability of opioid settlement funds in your state and why they should be invested in afterschool. You may use them as is or tailor them for your state/community.

Core Message

It is essential to dedicate a portion of opioid settlement funds to youth prevention, including afterschool and summer programs.

The Opportunity

STATE [has (or will be receiving) $$$] from opioid settlements with pharmaceutical companies. It is essential to dedicate a portion of those funds to youth prevention efforts, including our local afterschool and summer programs.

Investing opioid settlement funds in afterschool and summer programs is a critical strategy for protecting young people from drug use and supporting their healthy transition to adulthood.

Afterschool is Prevention

Afterschool and summer programs are proven to support healthy youth development, keep kids safe, and prevent drug use.

These programs are staffed by caring mentors who create a safe space where young people can express themselves, find belonging, and collaborate with their peers in enriching learning activities.
The experiences young people have in afterschool help them build confidence, self-control, resilience, healthy relationships and life skills. These protective factors play a critical role in preventing drug use and other risky behaviors.
These programs are also a lifeline for families. They support caregivers who need a safe space for their kids while they are working and offer connections to local healthcare and mental health resources.

Take Action

We need more public funding to ensure that all youth have access to the supports they need for a healthy transition to adulthood.
Right now, more than ## young people are missing out on life changing afterschool opportunities because our state has never had enough programs for all the families who need and want them. For every youth enrolled, NUMBER more are waiting to get in.
Funding youth prevention, including afterschool and summer programs, is a critical step in community reinvestment that will strengthen supports for our families, repair some of the harm done by the opioid crisis, and help future generations thrive.
STATE NETWORK is working with leaders across the state to expand access to afterschool and summer programs. Connect with us today to learn more about afterschool in our state and how we can work together to ensure a spot for every young person who wants to participate.

3. Contact stakeholders and decision makers

Based on the research above, tailor this letter to introduce yourself to the advisory committee overseeing the fund distribution in your state. You may also tailor this email to introduce yourself to others who make decisions about the opioid settlement funds or influence those who do.

Dear NAME,

As the director of STATE NETWORK, I represent youth development programs across STATE.

I’m writing to make the case for using our state’s opioid settlement funds to support local afterschool and summer programs, which are proven to keep kids safe, prevent drug use and protect young people’s mental health.

I know you face important decisions about how to maximize these settlement funds and want to offer myself as a resource to support your efforts. Our network is well-positioned to provide information about youth development and prevention programs, including evidence-based practices, considerations for dispersing funds, and data on programs in our state to help with your decision making.

As we look for the most impactful ways to help our families and communities heal from the harms of the opioid crisis, we must include youth prevention. Using opioid settlement funds to support STATE’s afterschool and summer programs is critical for helping our families recover and young people avoid drugs in the first place. Here’s why:

These programs are designed to meet the needs of the families they serve. They are staffed by caring mentors from the community who engage youth in enriching activities that help them build confidence, resilience, healthy relationships and life skills. These protective factors play a critical role in preventing drug use and other risky behaviors.

Families across our state rely on afterschool and summer programs to provide a safe place for their kids while parents are working and connect caregivers with local healthcare and mental health resources.

While STATE has a strong network of afterschool and summer programs, far too many families are missing out. For every youth enrolled in afterschool, ## more are waiting for an available spot.

I would love to meet with you to hear about your priorities for our state’s opioid settlement funds so that I can best support your efforts. You may reach me at email or phone. I will also follow up with your office by phone next week.

Thank you for your consideration.

4. Share facts

Customize this one-pager for your state and attach it to the introductory email above or bring it to a meeting or hearing about opioid settlement funding. If you need help with content or design, email us.

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