Gwinnett County opened applications on October 1 for its Gwinnett H.O.P.E. grant program, which uses Georgia opioid settlement money to fund community-based work. The name stands for “Healing from Opioid Addiction through Prevention Education.” The county has about $1.9 million to distribute over a 36-month period, and applications are due November 30, 2026.
Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson framed the program around results. “These settlement dollars give us an opportunity to invest directly in solutions that can save lives,” she said in the county's release. She also pointed to how the program was shaped: “We listened to residents, service providers, and health professionals about where the needs are greatest.”
What the money can fund
Applicants have to target at least one of four priority areas: treatment services, prevention services, recovery support services, and harm reduction. Projects are funded in three tiers based on how far along they are, which the county's notice of funding opportunity names as Rapid Response, Capacity-Building, and System Transformation. The published materials give a total for the program but no dollar figure for each tier, so the size of any single award is not yet known.
Who can apply
This grant is for organizations, not individual residents. Eligible applicants are registered nonprofits, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, or community-based organizations that run programs benefiting Gwinnett County residents. Applicants need a physical presence in the county, registration as a Gwinnett County vendor, two years of audited financial statements, and a registered GovGrants subrecipient account. Groups can apply together, with one organization serving as lead applicant and fiscal agent.
Dates to keep
Applications opened October 1 and close November 30. The county is holding a virtual information session on Tuesday, November 10, from 1 to 2 p.m., with registration through the webinar link on its program page. A September 29 session has already taken place, and its video and presentation are posted on the same page. The county says it will post FAQ updates after each session. Questions can go to [email protected] or 770.822.8860.
Why it's worth watching
Most residents will never write one of these applications, but the programs that win them show up in neighborhoods, schools, churches, and clinics. For a family thinking about moving to Gwinnett, the practical question is whether the prevention and recovery services they might rely on are funded and staffed. Money earmarked for these purposes is the kind of funding local groups plan around, and the timeline is tight: about three weeks separate the November 10 session from the November 30 deadline. If you run or volunteer with a group that does this work, the county's program page is the place to start.