Application Process

Know Before You Apply

Congratulations, you are considering applying for opioid settlement dollars! Thank you for your interest and commitment to abating the opioid epidemic in Arkansas. Before you apply, here is some information to keep in mind.

First, know that ARORP does not consider this funding to be grant dollars. ARORP distributes opioid settlement dollars, which significantly changes the application process from other funding opportunities. It is important that each applicant carefully review ARORP’s website to understand application requirements and the purpose of the settlement funding. Some other things to keep in mind:

• ARORP will receive settlement dollars over time, which means that funding may not be consistent from year-to-year. ARORP will only proceed with proposal approvals and ARORP Advisory Board meetings when there are ample settlement funds to disburse. There are not regularly scheduled board meetings. 
• All questions should be addressed to the Director or Deputy Director of ARORP without exception. Applicants that contact ARORP Advisory Board Members or Executive Directors of ARORP could cause a conflict of interest which could negatively affect the decision process on their application.
• ARORP does not customarily meet with potential applicants before a proposal has been submitted. ARORP may contact applicants with questions after reviewing the proposal.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to fully read and follow the guidelines before submitting a proposal. If an applicant is resubmitting a proposal, they must carefully review the reasons for denial and the guidance provided by the ARORP team. Changes must be reflected in the new proposal to be reconsidered by the ARORP team.
• Because of the nature of the funding, applicants must document opioid data, their organization’s success in addressing opioid misuse, and their evidence-based plan to abate opioids in their proposal.
• If the funded organization fails to utilize the awarded opioid settlement dollars, they must return any unused funds. All allocated funds must be spent according to the proposed budget; any expenditure outside of this allocation necessitates returning the funds to the Opioids Qualified Settlement Fund. Similarly, if the organization does not fulfill the milestones provided by ARORP, they are required to return all funding accordingly. Budget amendments are permissible through approval from ARORP or the board approval process.

Funding Process

Step 1: Evaluate Your Community’s Need

• Identify a need in your community.
• Review application instructions on the ARORP website, including the funding guidelines in Exhibit E.
• Be sure to articulate the evidence-based opioid abatement strategies used in your current program and future programs. Realize that these are opioid dollars, and you must use evidenced-based strategies to support your proposal.
• Submit your proposal to all mayors and county judges in your jurisdiction. This is a required step in the activation of your proposal to be considered by the ARORP team.

Step 2: Mayor(s) and County Judge(s) Review Your Proposal

• The mayor(s) or county judge(s) will evaluate your proposal and decide whether or not to authorize your proposal with a signature. If you submit multiple proposals, you must receive a signature for each proposal. Signatures of mayors and county judges are required to make a proposal eligible for funding, but do not guarantee funding.

Step 3: ARORP Team Reviews Your Proposal

• Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from Google Forms. If you did not receive a confirmation email from Google Forms, your application was not submitted.
• Once the ARORP team receives your proposal, it will be assigned a number and added to our files for review.
• The ARORP team will review your proposal. The ARORP team considers the quality of your proposal, resources available in your community, the community’s need for your project, and the amount of funding requested and available funding in the QSF, along with the principles and guidelines on the ARORP website. Because of fluctuations in QSF funding, there is no set timeline for this process.
• The ARORP team will customarily not meet with potential applicants who do not have active proposals. If ARORP is interested in your proposal, ARORP will schedule a meeting with you to fine-tune your proposal.

Step 4: The team will either deny your proposal, hold your proposal to evaluate when more funding is available, or reach out to you for more information.

• If your proposal is denied, you will receive an email stating the reasons why your proposal was denied. Please carefully review this letter. If you choose to resubmit, all points must be addressed in order for your proposal to be considered.
• At any time, you may withdraw your proposal by emailing arorp22@gmail.com.
• If your proposal is on hold, you may not hear from the team until it is time for another review. If you have questions, you may email arorp22@gmail.com.
• If your proposal is selected to go before the ARORP Advisory Board, the ARORP team will reach out to you for more information if needed.

Step 5: If your project goes before the board, the board will evaluate and vote on your proposal.

• At this point in the process, the proposal can either be approved, denied, or sent back for requested adjustments.

Step 6: If your project is approved by the board, then the project will be evaluated by the executive leadership team.

• At this point in the process, the proposal can either be approved, denied, or sent back with requested adjustments.

Step 7: If your project is approved by the executive leadership team, then your project will be sent to the court-appointed Administrator of the Arkansas Opioids Qualified Settlement Fund (QSF).

• At this point in the process, the proposal can either be approved, denied, or sent back with requested adjustments.

Step 8: If your project is approved by the QSF, then you will receive a notice of award with your project start date. Your application will become a contract that you must complete to stay in compliance with ARORP funding. You will receive funding shortly after approval by the QSF.

• All approved ARORP funding must be spent according to the funding recipient’s proposed budget as approved by ARORP.  If the funding recipient fails to utilize the awarded opioid settlement dollars as specified in the approved budget, the funding recipient must return any misspent or unused funds.  This includes any expenditure outside of the budget, and any funds allocated in the budget that were not spent as budgeted.  Similarly, if the funding recipient does not complete the milestones agreed to by the funding recipient and ARORP at the time of the funding award, the funding recipient must return all awarded funds.  Budget amendments are permissible but only if approved by the ARORP Director, and the ARORP Director may seek the additional approval of the ARORP Advisory Board for budget amendments at the Director’s discretion.