Fort Wayne’s $500,000 Opioid Grant Cycle Has Closed. Awards Are Expected Sept. 10

Fort Wayne has closed applications for its third National Opioid Settlement Fund grant cohort, moving the $500,000 program into the city’s review and decision stage.

The application deadline was July 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. The city’s grant portal lists Sept. 10, 2026, as the expected date for announcing award decisions, although the schedule could change.

What happens next

No new applications can be submitted for this cohort. The city’s OSF Review Committee will score applications using criteria that include program design, measurable outcomes, organizational capacity, partnerships, mission alignment and budget alignment. The city also reserves the right to reject applications or adjust award amounts based on funding availability.

The $500,000 is an available grant pool, not a final distribution. The city has not announced the recipients, individual award amounts or the specific activities that will be funded in this cohort.

Applicants could request up to $50,000 per application per cycle, with a maximum of $100,000 per organization per year. Eligible work includes evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery and harm-reduction programs serving Fort Wayne residents. The eligibility requirements describe what may be considered; they do not mean every submitted proposal has been approved or that every applicant will receive funding.

How this round differs from earlier awards

The pending $500,000 cohort is separate from earlier 2026 opioid settlement awards. The city reported $471,761 in awards to 12 organizations in March.

Fort Wayne also distributed $40,000 through a separate mini-grant program for four local groups. Those four $10,000 mini-grants are not part of the new $500,000 application pool.

The city says $1.473 million has already been distributed under Mayor Sharon Tucker’s administration. That figure refers to prior distributions and should not be treated as the amount awarded in the pending cohort.

What residents can watch for

The next concrete public milestone is the city’s expected Sept. 10 announcement. Residents evaluating the program should look for the final recipient list, award amounts and descriptions of the funded work.

The grant portal says funded organizations must submit monthly financial reports and quarterly program reports, including the number of people served, outcomes achieved and program narratives. Those records, along with the award announcement, will provide the clearest way to track how settlement funds are being used.

Fort Wayne’s grant portal also says applications become public records under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act. The availability and timing of individual application materials will depend on the applicable records process; the city has not said that every application will be immediately posted.

Sources

• Fort Wayne National Opioid Settlement Grants portal
• Fort Wayne mayor’s announcement of the third grant cohort
• WPTA/21Alive report on the Fort Wayne grant cycle